Robots against Covid-19

written/edited by Rahul Kumar Singh

The novel coronavirus (Covid-19) is spreading across continents rapidly, affecting millions of people, especially the people working in the essential services. Innovators around the globe are coming up with inventions to contain the spread of the virus. It has been proven over the years that people, when face challenges or a crisis come up with innovations, and the current crisis is no exception. This article aims to talk about inventions that have come up during Covid-19.

Entrepreneurs and innovators all over the country have come up with new apps, robots, and ventilators to help overcome the pandemic. According to many officials, robots are going to be vital in defeating the epidemic, as they can reduce human intervention in various healthcare processes. Invento Robotics and Asimov Robotics have been the forerunners of this movement, as they have come up with robots to ease the burden on healthcare officials.

Invento Robotics, with its “Astra” series of robots, aims to help in the disinfection of the COVID isolation wards, thus drastically reducing human intervention and ensuring the safety of healthcare officials. Astra uses Ultraviolet C (UVC) to kill a variety of bacteria and viruses, including the coronavirus. Although high-end hospitals had been using UVC to disinfect fomites, autonomous robots like Astra can be a real game-changer in the entire process. Astra is also equipped with a camera, which can allow the user to control the robot remotely. It also comes with a range of onboard tools from thermal imaging cameras to sensors for detecting pulse, ECG, and body temperature, thus helping the doctors diagnose their patients remotely. Invento Robotics CEO, Balaji Viswanathan has decided to provide the robot free of cost to government hospitals and do his part in overcoming the virus.

Asimov Robotics, with its “KARMI-bot,” can not only disinfect the COVID isolation wards but also transport food and medical supplies to patients. The main advantage of the KARMI-bot is that it is inexpensive compared to Astra, which costs around six lakhs to make. Apart from KARMI-bot, Asimov has also developed a robot that could be deployed in the entrances of buildings, hospitals, and other public places to dispense hand sanitizers and answer queries regarding the coronavirus.

Healthcare officials are working around the clock to protect the infected people while maintaining a safe distance with the patients. Keeping a safe distance, especially in hospitals, is vital in controlling the spread of the virus, which can only be done with the intervention of autonomous robots like Astra and KARMI-bot.