Humanoid robot pressed into service at Nellore COVID-19 hospital
By Newsmeter Network Published on 28 April 2020 1:48 PM GMT
Nellore: A humanoid robot will now serve COVID-19 patients at the state COVID hospital (SCH) in Nellore. Nellore-based APR Helping Hands donated the machine to the district administration to help patients at the SCH and reduce the burden on the nursing staff working in the isolation wards.
A representative of the Helping Hands, Syed Nizamuddin, handed over the robot to the district collector, M.V Seshagiri Babu, and special officer K. Ramgopal.
The joint collector, Dr. Vinod Kumar Vasudev, said robots are normally engaged to deliver medicines, food, and newspapers to patients in critical wards to relieve pressure on the nursing staff who enter the wards to supply these items. The robot can carry a load of around 40 kg and the chances of infection to the frontline health staff would be minimised.
The local government general hospital attached to the Government Medical College has been designated as the SCH for three districts - Nellore, Prakasam, and Kadapa. Patients who test positive for COVID-19 in these districts are treated here.
Mr Nizamuddin said his nephew Syed Parvez had designed the robot which has a video conference facility that helps infected patients interact with their family members from their wards. It will also help health care personnel keep an eye on the movement of the patients, he added.
The district administration has ordered three such humanoid robots for the isolation and quarantine wards.
