Joining the fight against Covid-19, the government-run Industrial Training Institute (ITI) in Cuttack has developed two low cost robots, which can save health workers from the infectious virus and reduce the need for personal protective equipment.
The cost of each robot is expected to be around Rs 2.5lakh, ITI-Cuttack principal Hrushikesh Mohanty said. In the wake of the coronavirus pandemic, the institute had constituted an innovation team that developed the robots in its laboratory, in association with SAK Robotics Lab, a start-up, Mr. Mohanty told PTI.
One of the two robots is a service robot, named CO-BOT (Corona Combat Robot), which can move on wheels and has a humanoid structure. Its hand-like structures can hold a tray and carry a load up to 20 kg, the principal said. It can be used in COVID-19 hospitals for carrying food, water and medicines to and from patients.
"This will reduce the risks to attendants serving the COVID-19 patients, "he said. The wireless communication protocols being used to control the robot can be further programmed with navigation and mapping to make them work autonomously in a hospital ward, Mr. Mohanty said.
The second one, named NIGA-BOT, is a telepresence robot which can be used for surveillance and teleconsultation by doctors who can interact remotely with patients through live video streaming. This robot is also enabled with a wheeled mobile platform and has an interactive device for video calling. NIGA-BOT can be used by health workers who have to make several rounds to the patient's bed for monitoring their health.
"This will protect the doctors and nurses from contracting the virus during such interactions. All these innovations would lead to reduced need for more Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) kits and could be a savior for health workers," he said.
These are low cost robots developed by the institute to meet the emergent needs following the coronavirus outbreak, Mr. Mohanty said. Once medical professionals spell out their specific requirements, new features will be integrated to the robots, he said.
The office of Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik has also hailed the job done by ITI, Cuttack in collaboration with SAKRobotics for using their skill to strengthen Odisha's fight against COVID-19.
Govt ITI Cuttack has developed two robots, COVOT and Megabot in collaboration with SAK Robotic Lab start-up to prevent #COVID19 contamination. Appreciation for @skilled_odisha for using their skill innovation to strengthen #Odisha's fight against the pandemic. #OdishaFightsCorona pic.twitter.com/wRGunqZ4xl
— CMO Odisha (@CMO_Odisha) April 28, 2020
Founder and CEO of SAK Robotics Lab, Sakyasingha Mohapatra said, the start-up has provided the required technology in the joint venture to strengthen the battle against the deadly virus.
"The institute has a dream and desire to use industry automation to impact the lives of ordinary people," the ITI principal said.
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