How Boston Dynamics' Spot robot helps treat COVID-19

[zakiyatasnim]

Boston Dynamics said its four-legged robot Spot is already being used in a Boston hospital to assist in the treatment of patients with COVID-19 coronavirus infection.



The company now has ambitious plans to expand the use of its robots to assist healthcare workers during the pandemic, and is also making its software and hardware available so that other hospitals and robot manufacturers can follow suit.

For almost two weeks, Brigham And Women's Hospital of Harvard University has been using the Spot robot to remotely triage patients suspected of having COVID-19. Thus, the robot is used as a telemedicine machine. For this purpose, a special mount is used on the Spot body for an iPad or a display of a similar size, which will be used for video conferences between medical workers and patients. The robot is also equipped with means for two-way radio communication. It is noted that the use of the robot georgia number data has helped nursing staff reduce the time of contact with potentially infectious patients. Thus, the risk of coronavirus infection for medical staff is reduced. Moreover, the use of iPads and two-way radio communication means that doctors "can talk to patients from a distance, perhaps even from their own homes."



Boston Dynamics is also committed to helping other healthcare professionals and companies that are able to support healthcare workers through robotics or telemedicine. Boston Dynamics is therefore providing access to all files that enable the operation of this Spot robot configuration.

Additionally, it is reported that the company does not intend to limit itself to telemedicine. Boston Dynamics is looking for ways to make its Spot robots even more useful in the fight against COVID-19. The company is currently actively exploring the possibilities of remote monitoring of vital signs, so that the robots can perform tasks such as checking temperature and counting respiratory rate using a thermal imaging camera. With the help of additionally installed third-party RGB cameras, other vital signs can also be recorded, for example, measuring pulse or blood oxygen saturation.

In the future, the company intends to study whether its four-legged robots can be used to disinfect places such as public transport hubs, hospitals, and tents for examining patients suspected of having COVID-19. For these purposes, it is planned to use ultraviolet radiation systems. So far, this solution is in the early stages of development.