Fully automatic throat swab robot

Description

In response to the Covid-19 pandemic, a team of robotics researchers at the Maersk Mc-Kinney Moller Institute at the University of Southern Denmark (SDU) in Odense, a city home to one of the world’s leading robotics clusters, have developed the world’s first fully automatic throat swab robot. The agile innovation process was made possible due to the unique and well-organized cluster of automation and robotics companies in Denmark, where close collaboration between education, research, and the industry is a norm. The process of the automatic swab sample begins when the patient scans her ID-card. The robot then prepares a sample kit, consisting of a container with a printed ID-label. When the patient opens her mouth, the robot picks up the swab and identifies the right points in the patient’s throat. This happens through artificial intelligence based computer vision. The robot gently and securely conducts the swab, places it back into the container, and puts on the lid.