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A dog-like mobile robot named Dr Spot could advance medical treatment during the COVID-19 pandemic by establishing a new connection between isolated patients and the doctors who need to see them.
The four-legged robot is designed to aid assessments by allowing the canine machine with a video camera, which is connected to a doctor, to visit patients who need to be isolated, the New York Post reported.
“At the start of the pandemic, we wanted to help protect healthcare workers from the virus by limiting their exposure to patients potentially infected with COVID,” said Giovanni Traverso, assistant professor of mechanical engineering at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology who worked about the project. .
“We were wondering if we could do this by incorporating robotic systems into healthcare environments, and if patients would be willing to engage with robots during their assessments,” he said.
In a new study published this month, Traverso and his colleagues Peter Chai and Henwei Huang described how patients responded to medical care from robots.
“People are very positive and accepting robotic systems in healthcare settings, especially during the pandemic,” Traverso said.
Dr Spot, a robot designed to help doctors see patients without direct contact during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic
The robot developed by MIT and Boston Dynamics can perform minor procedures such as evaluating vital signs, taking nasal swabs and placing intravenous catheters
Researchers conducted a nationwide survey of 1,000 people to analyze their opinions on the receipt of medical services by robots.
“We found that people across the country were ready to engage with robots, especially systems that facilitate telehealth and systems that make it easier to measure vital signs like heart rate, respiratory rate and levels. oxygen, ”Traverso said.
Giovanni Traverso is an Assistant Professor of Mechanical Engineering at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology who contributed to the development of Dr. Spot
The researchers then partnered with engineering and robotics design firm Boston Dynamics, in Waltham, Mass., To build Dr. Spot.
Dr. Spot is made of aluminum, plastic, and circuit boards and, like some other robotic robots, can perform minor procedures including assessing vital signs, taking nasal swabs, and placing catheters. intravenous.
“It takes a few months to build a robot,” said Marco da Silva, senior robotics at Boston Dynamic, which is owned by SoftBank Group Corp.
Boston Dynamics’ product offerings start at around $ 74,500, with the option of additional customizations costing over $ 20,000 each, its website says.
Da Silva said it takes an additional six weeks to build the specialized software and the modifications needed to give Spot the capabilities to perform patient assessments.
Marco da Silva, senior robotics at Boston Dynamic who worked on the Dr. Spot project
The researchers introduced Dr. Spot to 40 patients in the emergency department at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston.
The team installed an iPad based on Spot, which displayed real-time person-to-person video allowing doctors and nurses to conduct telehealth interviews with patients while they operated the robot with a remote control.
Robo-doc’s sophisticated computer cameras and systems that can identify a face even if a patient is wearing a mask. It can also assess body temperature, respiration and pulse, and uses special lens filters to determine the oxygen saturation of the blood.
People stand on the lawn outside Building 10 on the campus of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Cambridge, Massachusetts
Boston Dynamics headquarters in Waltham, Massachusetts. Robotics and engineering firm partnered with MIT to work on the Dr. Spot project
“Overall, emergency department patients have responded very favorably to Dr Spot, especially because it reduces the risk of person-to-person exposure to COVID,” Traverso said.
More than 90% of patients said their interactions with the robot were satisfactory and said they were ready to interact with more robotic systems, according to the study.
“Robotics, to some extent, is already being used in hospitals,” Traverso said. “But in the context of COVID-19, we are seeing that robotic systems could really play an important role in healthcare depending on the strong acceptance from people.”
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