Robot dog Spot can help doctors treat COVID-19 patients amid PPE shortage, says Boston Dynamics
Last week, Boston's Brigham and Women's Hospital opened its door to a new doctor who treats coronavirus patients but is not at risk of contracting the disease. The doctor named Spot is a 'robot dog' developed by Boston Dynamics, an American engineering and robotics design company. The company believes Spot can reduce the exposure of frontline healthcare workers to the disease.
It can also address another problem: a shortage of — goggles, face shields, gloves, gowns, and other gear — called personal protective equipment (PPE). As the coronavirus crisis escalates in the US, medical workers are feeling the pinch: the demand for PPE is up to 100 times higher than normal right now. There are not enough masks and other PPE in the country.
Besides, healthcare workers are at higher risk. They account for about 11% of all Covid-19 infections, suggests data from CDC officials. A sixth of a hospital's staff had contracted COVID-19. They reached out to Boston Dynamics, looking for a solution, the company wrote in a blog post.
Taking all these factors into account, Boston Dynamics began developing the coronavirus doctor Spot. "We have spent the past several weeks trying to better understand hospital requirements to develop a mobile robotics solution with our robot," the company added.
The robot can replace healthcare workers who examine patients suspected of the disease. Currently, over five medical staff talk are involved in this task, placing them at a higher risk of contracting the virus. “With the use of a mobile robot, hospitals can reduce the number of the necessary medical staff at the scene and conserve their limited PPE supply," they explained.
How does the robot work?
The robot will allow doctors to remotely treat patients. At the Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Spot began interviewing patients suspected of having less-serious cases of COVID-19.
By arming Spot with an iPad and a two-way radio allows doctors to speak with patients from afar, possibly even their own homes.
The robot can move around, thanks to its distinct four-legged design. The design helps Spot navigate terrains where humans and other robots may have difficulty going, Michael Perry, vice president for business development, told NPR. "Part of the benefit of legged mobility is going to spaces that wheeled robots and drones cannot go," he added.
The company said it is encouraged by reports of how Spot has helped the hospital's nursing staff minimize time exposed to potentially contagious patients.
They are now trying to fine-tune the robot and add more features, for instance, measuring body temperature. “We have been in dialogue with researchers who use thermal camera technology to measure body temperature and calculate the respiratory rate," the company wrote.
The company is also investigating whether mobile robotic technology can help disinfect hospital rooms. "Robots are great at doing things we don’t want to do, are dangerous for us to do, or when they can do something better than we could," Julie Carpenter, a roboticist and research fellow at the Ethics and Emerging Sciences Group, told WIRED.