Odisha Railways Hospital Deploys Robots To Serve Food, Medicines To COVID-19 Patients

The pandemic has been quite challenging for doctors and health workers who have to cover themselves with layers of PPE kits for safety and work for over eight hours.

In order to protect health workers from COVID-19 infection, the East Coast Railways Central Hospital in Odisha is using a medical robot called MeD ROBO for providing medicines, food and remote assistance to patients in the coronavirus ward. By using the robot, it is ensured that there is no physical contact with the patients.

The MeD ROBO is operated through a unique mobile app that has been developed as part of the innovation, supported by the WiFi facility, confirmed an ECoR official said.

The robot is helping the hospital staff to serve food and medicines to COVID-19 patients. The robot's sensor can read a patient's body temperature and transmit the same for display on the smartphone.

In case of high-temperature reading, the MeD ROBO is also capable of raising an alarm so as the hospital staff could immediately attend the patient. The 1.4-meter-tall (4.6 feet) robot asks patients their names as it goes from room to room, reported News18.

An in-house innovation by East Coast Railway, the diesel Loco Shed at Visakhapatnam has fabricated this robot to assist hospital staff for serving COVID patients. Before being deployed for use in Central Railway Hospital at Mancheswar, the robot underwent extensive trials and demonstrations.

It moves around on wheels and has a camera as well as display screen enabling relatives and doctors to chat with patients or staff in full protective gear in the coronavirus ward.

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