KOCHI: Last week, the Department of Cardiac Surgery at the Sree Chitra Tirunal Institute for Medical Sciences and Technology (SCTIMST) had to be temporarily shut down, after as many as seven patients admitted for surgery tested Covid-19 positive. The severity of the situation can be highlighted by the fact that patients who have undergone surgery are highly prone to contagious diseases, including Covid, as their immunity level is likely to be low.
In a bid to reduce the chances of further spread among patients admitted to surgical intensive care units in various hospitals, Kochi-based startup Asimov Robotics has stepped in to save the day with their ‘Sevabot’ — a robot that can transport medicines and consumables to and from the ICUs, thus reducing human interaction in the critical care unit. The product is an advanced version of Karmibot, the humanoid developed by Asimov to reduce human role in Covid wards.
“I prefer to call Sevabots a group of miniature ambulances that will move through the corridors of the ICU, delivering goods within the designated hospital space by integrating itself into the human workflow. The bot is easy to operate. Once loaded, it can be sent to multiple destinations just by entering a command on a mobile or tablet application,” said Asimov Robotics CEO Jayakrishnan T.
The robot can detect obstacles on the way and navigate to avoid collision. It will move at a speed that will ensure the safety of the materials it is transporting. “It is sufficiently fast and can deliver items on time. It can sense if the pathway is busy and will move away from obstacles. Also, if a person blocks its way, it will request them to move and will either step aside or shut down till the path is cleared,” said Jayakrishnan.
Recently, Asimov Robotics installed one of their Sevabots at Bengaluru’s Narayana Hrudayalaya, which has more than 100 ICUs. “There’s a lot of activity in the ICUs. Doctors, nurses and medical runners are always moving around delivering medicines, collecting microbiological samples and attending to patients. We made multiple site visits, held extensive discussions and collected data regarding the daily workflow of healthcare staff, trolleys and hospital beds using a tracking system. The robot was developed based on all this. Installation of sensors was a challenging task as the Narayana Hrudayalaya had metal cladding, which reflected signals, on their walls. We have made the mobile base human-friendly and provided multiple sensors to ensure hassle-free transportation, “ he said. The plan is to hand 10 more robots to the institute, so that a safe working environment can be ensured in the ICUs. The cost of one Sevabot is around `3 lakh per unit.
According to Jayakrishnan, the role of robots has significantly increased in the post pandemic world. “Humans are now confined to their houses and technology is taking over the more repetitive and risky tasks. These bots can also be deployed in urban workspaces including shopping malls, theatres, hotels and educational institutions,” he added.
Asimov is now developing an artificial intelligence device called Covid Police, which can perform the role of a security guard and regulate the entry of people to halls by checking Covid symptoms. The device will check the person’s body temperature and whether they are wearing a mask, and ask them the requisite questions. If the person has symptoms, it will lock the door and deny entry.