"의료진 감염 걱정 없어요"...원격 검체 채취 로봇 개발

Medical personnel at screening centers are exposed to the risk of infection when collecting samples for COVID-19 tests.
To reduce such risk, South Korean researchers have developed a robot that can remotely collect the samples needed for diagnostic testing.
Park Se-young has more.
At COVID-19 screening centers, the medical staff must wear thick protective suits.
But despite such efforts, medical teams in Daegu and Gyeongsangbuk-do Province were unable to avoid infections amid a surge in cases in February.
"The surge in cases has led to more infections among medical staff."
To protect medical staff, South Korean researchers have developed a remote sampling technology.
The researcher controls the robot using a master device while watching a monitor from a separate room to check the position of the nostril.
The remote robot then moves as directed and collects the sample.
The sensors on the robot also allow the user to adjust the strength of the swab.
"We have to be able to see if the force is properly felt to check if the swab is in the right place, so it was designed to measure the force."
The researchers plan to add artificial intelligence technology to the robot so that it can automatically locate the sample area.
The robot, developed using purely domestic technology, will be deployed to front-line medical facilities immediately after clinical trials.
Park Se-young, Arirang News.