This Weird Robotic Arm Can Help Save Lives During The Covid-19 Outbreak

Chinese researchers have designed a robot that could take part in the battle against the Covid-19 outbreak. The robot is actually a robotic arm that can take mouth swabs, perform ultrasounds and listen to organs’sounds, which is usually done using a stethoscope.

Doctors are often the ones who carry out these tasks. However, with this robot, medical personnel don’t have to be there with the patient as the robot is equipped with cameras.

According to the chief designer of the robot, Professor Zheng Gangtie from Tsinghua University said that since the robot became too contagious, this robot could be used for most dangerous tasks.

Zheng came up with the idea after Wuhan authorities had put the city under lockdown with the number of cases and deaths kept rising.

He heard from his friend who is the executive president of Tsinghua Changgung Hospital in Beijing that the most worrying problem was that the virus could infect frontline workers.

Zheng then gathered a team and started to work on transforming two mechanized robotic arms that use the same technology deployed on lunar explorers and space stations. The robots were close to being entirely automated. They could disinfect themselves after they were done with actions involving contact, as per Zheng.

But doctors wanted the robots to be less automation as personal presence would help calm and comfort the patient.

The team has successfully developed two robots. The robots have been tested by doctors in Beijing. One is still at the university’s lab while one is now at the Wuhan Union Hospital.

If everything goes according to plan, the robot may start to be used on Coronavirus patients.

Zheng’s wish is to build more robots like these ones but the university’s funding has already run out. One robot costs $72,000. He has no intention to commercialize his robot but hopes that there will be some companies that would want to do that.

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