As the world continues to battle COVID-19, frontline medical workers are getting relief from robots.
Earlier this month, a trial hospital staffed by robots opened at the Hongshan Sports Center in Wuhan, China. Called the Smart Field Hospital, it’s a joint effort between Wuhan Wuchang Hospital, China Mobile and CloudMinds, makers of cloud robotics systems based in China and the U.S. The hospital was created to relieve exhausted healthcare workers in a country where the outbreak has finally slowed in recent weeks.
All medical services at Smart Field were administered through robots and other IoT devices. 5G thermometers screened entering patients for fevers. Patient-worn smart bracelets and rings synced vital signs with CloudMinds’ AI platform. And other robots delivered food, drinks, medicine and much-needed entertainment to bored patients, while other autonomous droids kept areas sanitized. The hospital and its robots are currently on standby, should there be a resurgence of cases.
"Robots do not carry diseases, and robots can be easily disinfected," Bill Huang, CloudMinds CEO and founder, told a CNBC reporter last month.
Other companies such as Texas-based healthcare services company Xenex Disinfection Services and Denmark-based robotics company UVD Robots are sending virus-zapping robots to areas around the world. The robots use powerful ultraviolet light to decontaminate hospital rooms and surfaces of coronavirus. You can see the robots in action here.