Using Robotics to Fight COVID-19

 by Sam Head

The COVID-19 pandemic has become the focus of the media for around a year as of late 2019. There has been a lot of dialogue concerning vaccines and their efficiency and the preventions that should take place due to the rapid spread of the virus. As a result, medical advancement in other areas, which seem to have no bearing on fighting Covid-19, has gone unnoticed and applauded. However, many companies and medical bodies have been examining whether robotic capabilities, if used in the right application, can ameliorate the conditions in Covid-19. Due to human interaction, a plethora of surgeries have been cancelled to mitigate the spread of the virus, which has posed an extensive economic loss for hospitals and a substantial burden for patients. However, if medical staff could integrate robots into healthcare procedures, a robotic shielding layer would form a barrier between surgeon and patient, limiting human interaction and combating the anxiety of pathogen contamination. Life-saving surgeries could be performed. Furthermore, such interventions could help protect health workers who battle at the frontline and whose own risk is substantial. One of the first reports of Covid-19, the epicentre being Wuhan, China, revealed that out of the first 130 cases, 40 were the medical staff.

Robots not only support surgeons perform intricate and precise duties, but they also reduce the burden and stress on the actual surgeon and in doing so increase the efficiency of healthcare services. The initial reasoning for advancing the use of robotics in surgery was to increase hygiene. This primary concern is ideal in this current pandemic environment. The first robot was the Unimation Puma 560 in 1985 which was documented to have assisted in a delicate neurosurgical biopsy. ZEUS developed by the Automated Endoscopic System for Optimal Positioning performed the first long-ranged (across different countries) telesurgical procedure where the surgeon was positioned in New York and the patient in Strasbourg. Surgical robots can effectively perform time-efficient surgery over extensive operative hours and minimize infectious spread, through contactless surgery. These principles could be applied across the medical landscape. For example, fourth-generation Da Vinci surgical systems continue to advance across a wide spectrum of surgical techniques, so as the pandemic continues, more surgeries have the option of remote operation.

The application of robotics in healthcare is developing exponentially with a multi-faceted use. Robotics can be used in administration. Autonomously guided hand sanitizer dispensing robots are designed to alleviate infections on human hands and faces. Such alcohol-based sanitizers remove bacteria, viruses, and other microbes to prevent the spread of contagious diseases among large populations. In Japan mobile robots with automated voice recognition systems guide patients to the right area without human contact, limiting the risk of infection. Robots can further be used as a televisual aid, so doctors can remotely diagnose patients reducing contact with Covid-19 positive patients. Children like robots and so being seen in society raises morale and decreases the rate of malaise. Robots are also widely used in spraying antiseptic mixtures over large outdoor areas e.g. food courts and hallways. These robots are remotely controlled to avoid hazardous contact with the disinfectant spray, combined with cleaner robots that clean rubbish up, further decreasing contact.

Robotic capability is exponential and can help to protect patients and medical staff alike.