The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has significantly changed the world and impacted multiple layers of society. In a bid to tackle this challenge, numerous research institutes, inventors, and companies have to come forward with cutting-edge products.
A similar instance comes to light when Mahmoud el-Komy, an Egyptian inventor, developed a robot named ‘Cira-03’. The robot has human-like robotic arms, face, and head. It tests a patient for COVID-19 by cupping their chin and then extending a human-like arm with a swab into their mouth.
Mahmoud el-Komy said that he tried to make a human-like robot so that the patients do not fear it. There has been a good response from patients, he added. He claimed that the new robot can help restrict exposure to infection and prevent the transmission of the virus.
Sources cite that the robot, which is currently in the testing phase, can conduct COVID-19 test, record temperature, and even warn people if they forgot to wear masks at a private hospital north of Cairo. Besides, this robot can perform x-rays and echocardiograms, take blood tests, and display the outcomes to patients on a screen attached to the test.
Abu Bakr El-Mihi who is the Head of a hospital where this robot is being tested said that they were using the ‘Cira-03’ to record the temperature of people suspected of having COVID-19.
Going down the same road, Singapore in September developed a robot which carries out nasal swabbing to test suspected people for COVID-19. This robot has helped the nation to decrease healthcare workers' risk of exposure to SARC-COV-2.
Researchers from the NCCS (National Cancer Centre Singapore) and the SGH(Singapore General Hospital) collaborated with Biobot Surgical, a company focusing on the development of medical robotics technology, to develop this robot.
Source credit - https://www.reuters.com/article/health-coronavirus-egypt-robot/egyptian-inventor-trials-robot-that-can-test-for-covid-19-idUSKBN2852F6