|
 To use the SwabBot, a patient places their nostrils onto two
disposable plastic nose pieces, which contain an extendable swab
stick to collect samples from the nasal passageway.
The swab process is self-activated by pushing the chin against the
machine and it has sensors to retract the swab stick if it
encounters any sort of barrier or resistance.
"It's a little bit ticklish but that's normal ... it's a very soft,
gentle form of ticklish, so it doesn't hurt at all," said Leo Lim,
product manager at Biobot Surgical Pte Ltd, a technology company
that jointly developed the SwabBot with the National Cancer Centre
Singapore (NCCS).
The SwabBot was developed to make it more efficient to conduct mass
testing during the pandemic.The machine must be cleaned, maintained
and refitted with swab sticks by human hands, but the rest of the
20-second swab process is automated.
"We wanted something that would save manpower, and is less risky for
healthcare workers. And we really didn't expect the response to be
so overwhelming," said Professor Tan Ngian Chye of the NCCS, one of
the project's senior consultants.
[to top of second column] |
The device only exists as a prototype, but Biobot has plans to
produce at least 100 units and more depending on demand.
Biobot said it does not yet have a price for the SwabBot, but said
there had been plenty of inquiries from potential clients locally
and overseas.
This is not the first automated swab-testing robot; companies such
as Taiwan's Brain Navi have developed similar models.
(Writing by Ed Davies; Editing by Mike Collett-White)
[© 2020 Thomson Reuters. All rights
reserved.] Copyright 2020 Reuters. All rights reserved. This material may not be published,
broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Thompson Reuters is solely responsible for this content.
 |
