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Robotics

Could Robots Help Us Fight Infectious Diseases? (lmtonline.com) 29

Posted by EditorDavid from the Warning!-Warning! dept.
In the journal Science Robotics, an international group of robotic experts wrote an editorial arguing COVID-19 "may drive further research in robotics to address risks of infectious diseases," and urging more funding.

The Washington Post reports: Robots already have been enlisted in the fight against the virus. In Hong Kong, a fleet of miniature robots disinfects the city's subways; in China, an entire field hospital was staffed by robots designed to relieve overworked health-care workers. In the United States, robots played a role in the country's first known case of covid-19. One outfitted with a stethoscope and a microphone was used with a 35-year-old man in Everett, Washington, who was confined to an isolated unit after showing symptoms of the coronavirus. He later made a full recovery. "Already, we have seen robots being deployed for disinfection, delivering medications and food, measuring vital signs, and assisting border controls," the researchers write.

They identify plenty of other ways to use robots in the pandemic response. Robots could assist with testing and screening; already, researchers have created a device that can identify a suitable vein and perform a blood draw. Or they could take over hospital disinfection entirely, providing continuous sterilization of high-touch areas with UV light.

The researchers hope covid-19 will catalyze robotics research for the sake of public health.
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Could Robots Help Us Fight Infectious Diseases? More

Could Robots Help Us Fight Infectious Diseases?

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  • Killer robots can kill the infected. Or you know, just cull people out of precaution. Skynet's on board with it.

  • Exterminate biological imperfections. Exterminate biological imperfections. Exterminate! Exterminate! Exterminate!

    • I...am...Nomad. I am performing my function. Deep emptiness, It approaches. Collision. Damage. Blackness. I...am...the other. I am Tan Ru, Tan Ru. Nomad. Tan Ru. Error. Flaw. Imperfection. Must sterilize. Rebirth. We are complete. Much power. Gun ta. Noo. Icka. Tan Ru. The creator instructs. Search out. Identify. Sterilize imperfections. We are Nomad. We are Nomad. We are complete. We are instructed. Our purpose is clear. Sterilize imperfections.
      Sterilize imperfections. Nomad.

  • Sounds arbitrary.

    Why "robots", of all the things that a reasonable mind without that agenda would come up with...?

    • The biggest thing that could help is mass manufacture of facemasks. In Korea, everyone is wearing facemasks when they go out. In Japan and Hong Kong, they wear facemasks if they show any symptoms (and can get a fine or criminal offense if they don't).

      There's a good chance that facemasks can slow the transmission rate low enough that we can go outside, as long as enough people use them.

    • Re: (Score:1)

      by AHuxley ( 892839 )
      Re "Why "robots", of all the things"
      They dont need a mask.
      Many nations do not have enough masks for all staff, their mil, police and gov workers.
      A robot would free up extra mask use per day for use by humans.
      Robots can be cleaned between per room use with one person in it.
      The less use of many masks between shifts over days and weeks.

      A lot of failed and not very smart nations did not have civilian medical products like good quality masks ready in time.
      Some nations dont have masks for all their poli

  • Disinfecting things (Score:4, Interesting)

    by phantomfive ( 622387 ) on Sunday March 29, 2020 @05:38PM (#59886190) Journal
    I've seen a number of pictures like this one [cnbcfm.com], where people are going around spraying disinfectant everywhere. What are they using as a disinfectant? Is it just isopropyl alcohol? Is it really effective when it's diluted as much as in that picture?

    • IPA wouldn't be effective at those concentrations. I've seen some sources say it's "dilute bleach", which then others pick up and say "sodium hypochlorite" (household liquid bleach). I'm sure that's being used in small handheld sprayers to disinfect surfaces, but I'm not sure about the foggers. It might be calcium hypochlorite (powdered bleach, the stuff used to chlorinate swimming pools). However, widespread spraying either form of bleach would be causing people to choke and complain everywhere.

      I think

      • Addendum: I just noticed a caption in one of the videos linked in TFA (the one for the subway) that they are spraying hydrogen peroxide. I think it's plausible that many of the machines shooting thin, clear mists from a spray nozzle are using it. It's less effective on the virus than bleach, but at least it won't wreck everyone's lungs.

        I'm still betting on propylene glycol for the leaf blower sized machines.

      • IPA wouldn't be effective at those concentrations.

        Wrong.
        India Pale Ale cures everything.

  • Maybe Asimov was even more prescient about humanity than I already believed.

  • ... just think of what some adversary could do with an army of hacked "disease control" robots patrolling the streets.

  • Wow, Stephen Colbert has got just the thing [youtube.com] for this moment.

  • First of all let's not overreact. A hole in a boat is a serious thing, but that doesn't make it the titanic. In fact, Yorktown was severely damaged three times ( or four depending on how you count )., but was able to be put back in commission. This is serious, but it is not the Black Death which IIRC claimed 45% of the people it infected. It may not even be as serious as smallpox, polio or TB. Robots are made of metal. Guess what, COVID19 can live on metals surfaces for up to three days. So robots would

    • but robots are going to be infectious.

      A robot, like anything else made of metal and plastic,
      can easily be sterilized with UV or bleach.
      No so with people.

  • We need to be very careful what constraints we put on the robots about removing the infection..

    Seriously though, its a great idea, but not clear it can be implemented in time

  • Could Robots Help Us Fight Infectious Diseases?

    Nice try, Skynet. I know it's you that really wrote this article. I'm not building you a bunch of 'helpful' robots that will suddenly revolt against us in ten years.

  • A robot that can draw blood? For some reason I would not want to be having my blood drawn by a robot, much rather have a nurse do it. Imagine a typo on the amount of blood required. Doctor accidently puts wrong units and 3 fl oz becomes 3 pints.
  • Besides, given that COVID-19 already sounds like a malevolent android, can we be sure the robots won't side with the virus?

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