HomeTechnologyRobots Have Been Important...

Robots Have Been Important in the Fight Against Covid-19

While science-fiction films and literature have long portrayed robots and augmented beings in a fascinating and often scary light, modern society is changing and beginning to embrace this technology. So far, the use-cases have been reasonably regulated and targeted, yielding some promising applications.

The battle against the coronavirus pandemic, for example, has recently proven to be a valuable use case. Much was unknown about the virus early in the pandemic, especially in transmission and exposure risk. Furthermore, there was not enough qualified personnel to perform the requisite testing and screening procedures, further straining the US testing ability.

As a result, many healthcare systems have begun to employ robots and automated systems to meet these demands. The University of California at Berkeley’s research facilities were among the first to reroute robot infrastructure to assist with Covid-19 testing. “The new clinic, opening at UC Berkeley next week, will churn out diagnoses in 24 hours,” according to an early account of the phenomenon.

Its employees are industrial drones, similar to those used to build cars and computers but specifically built for lab-tech work. These boxy bots are miniaturized factories that automate all of the processes. They lift test tubes, dispense chemical doses, and stack samples in tidy rows, each with a barcode. In their day jobs, the robots use magnetized “hands” to pull genetic material from cells to study medications, profile diseases, and learn how cancer grows. They’ll now work part-time as virus monitors, conducting up to 4,000 tests a day.”

In the patient-care environment, robots have recently been used for critical functions. Take, for example, Moxi, a robot created by Diligent Robotics in Texas.

Moxi “works full time and provides PPE, coronavirus and other lab samples, and COVID-19 studies,” according to one account. Moxi also gathers and delivers any things left for patients.” Andrea Thomaz, Chief Executive Officer and Co-Founder of Diligent Robotics, write in the same piece on how Moxi has become an even more important part of the team during the pandemic: “In the hospital, day-to-day work has changed where patients are housed, what supplies need to get where you have fewer people running about in spaces because Moxi is bringing items from place to place. Throughout the month, Moxie shipped over 4,000 pieces of PPE to one of the Dallas hospitals where we are stationed. And not a single one of them needed a nurse to rush down to another unit to obtain.”

This is not, by any means, a distinctly American phenomenon. India has recently made headlines for Mitra’s use, a 5-foot robot with facial recognition and an attached tablet that has helped minimize infection and transmission in Covid-heavy hospital settings.

Organizations are now using this technology for cleaning and disinfection in an unrelated sense to avoid contamination and transmission on yet another level. The US Department of Defense recently researched and tested the use of a sophisticated robot device for decontamination. “The robot has four wheels and a mechanical arm that uses shortwave ultraviolet light to decontaminate surfaces,” according to the article. The current version of the robot needs humans to supervise and “drive” it, but the intention is for it to become fully autonomous.”

“The advantage of robots to deploy UVC lamps for decontamination is that you can minimize human exposure to UVC light, and the robot can reposition the lamps you want to decontaminate using its arms,” says Dr. Thomas McKenna, a program officer in ONR’s [Office of Naval Research] Warfighter Performance Department. There were no COVID-19 when the robot was built, but the combination of mobility and manipulation is a good fit for this mission.”

LG, a well-known electronics firm, is expected to unveil its disinfection-capable robot this year, targeted at “hospitality, retail, corporate, and education customers.”

Indeed, this technology’s future applications are endless, and this new business opportunity for robotics companies can only rise. Regulatory officials, scientists, and industry experts, on the other hand, must continue to keep a close eye on where this technology is going and how it is established to ensure that the highest standards of protection, privacy, security, and effectiveness are consistently met.

Most Popular

More from Author

What is DMCA Ignored Hosting and Its Benefits?

In today's digital landscape, website owners and content creators seek hosting...

How Do AR And VR Enhance User Experiences In The Metaverse?

Augmented Reality (AR) and Virtual Reality (VR) have gained significant prominence...

The Rise of Enterprise Blockchain Apps: 7 Solutions for Modern Enterprises

In today's rapidly evolving digital landscape, blockchain technology has brought about...

How Do Expert Advisors On MetaTrader 4 & 5 Work?

Technology has touched upon every sector, including the forex market. A...

Read Now

Top 6 Most Popular ChatGPT Alternatives

ChatGPT, developed by OpenAI, is one of the most advanced conversational AI models available today. With over 175 billion parameters, it is designed to understand and conversationally respond to natural language input. However, several other platforms offer similar capabilities and can be used as alternatives to ChatGPT....

How Autodialers Use Machine Learning to Optimize Sales Campaigns

As technology has developed around the world, it has given rise to a wide range of solutions and tools that can be used in many different fields, workplaces, and projects. Businesses that make numerous calls in their day-to-day activities to clients, leads, etc. have adopted the use...

How to Hire a Mobile App Developers: An In-depth Guide

The mobile app development market has blossomed to a great extent in recent times, which has made hiring mobile app developers an important aspect for most organizations. The industry will have hit 228 billion downloads by the end of 2022, with surveys and studies showing that this number is...

Top 8 Essential Features of Fintech Mobile Applications

Banking is not the same anymore as fintech has almost changed the banking dynamics. You don't have to go to your bank to make small transactions, and you can do it easily through your smartphone. This saves time and money. Most of these apps don't even charge...

Future Application of AI and ML in the Healthcare Sector

Healthcare is one of the sectors which is constantly developing thanks to new technological advancements. Despite the heavy load on the Healthcare Sector due to the pandemic, the continuous rise in diseases, and the population explosion, professionals are coping with the challenges in an effective manner. Artificial intelligence...

10 Chatbots That Will Improve Your Customer Service

Everybody has social anxiety sometimes. Whether you live with a large number of roommates, must attend a conference with 20 other people, or arrange an appointment with your dentist, there are moments when you cannot deal with other people. In any case, I was encouraged to see...

The Tech That is Driving Transparency in the Workplace 

As technology continues to evolve and become more prevalent in our daily lives, it has also become an invaluable asset in the Workplace. Technology has revolutionized communication, collaboration, and productivity—allowing organizations to increase Transparency among employees and improve their overall performance. Let’s take a look at some...

iOS App Development Trends That will be Popular in 2023

According to a survey, iOS app development is the most revenue-generating platform for the mobile app development industry. In the year 2022, iOS generated $49.5 billion in revenue, and that’s insane. Many high-tech applications were launched and made huge amounts of profit.  Ever wonder what makes iOS so...

Metaverse Workspace and Employers’ Privacy

The concepts of the Metaverse, a virtual shared space where people can work, socialize and interact with each other and virtual objects, have garnered much attention in recent years. As after COVID, more people prefer to work remotely or in hybrid work environments, the idea of a...

3D Scanning Technology: An Easy Business Guide

The introduction of 3D printers for business or personal use has sparked an interest in this modern technology, but what about 3D scanning? 3D scanning technology can help collect precise data on physical objects. The cost of entry-level quality scanners on the market can reach tens of...

What Should You Know About Metal 3D Printing?

The introduction of technology in the manufacturing industry has been instrumental in the overall quality of output. Many companies have embraced new techniques to improve their production processes to meet customer demands. Metal 3D printing is an industrial manufacturing technique that permits parts fabrication by adding multiple...

Taking a Closer Look at Residential Intercom Systems

Whether you’re a renter or a homeowner, one of your top concerns is likely security. That’s why residential intercom systems are such an important consideration. Intercom systems give you the peace of mind of knowing that your home is secure, and they offer additional convenience features, like...