"의료진 감염 걱정 없어요"...원격 검체 채취 로봇 개발<br /><br />Medical personnel at screening centers are exposed to the risk of infection when collecting samples for COVID-19 tests.<br />To reduce such risk, South Korean researchers have developed a robot that can remotely collect the samples needed for diagnostic testing.<br />Park Se-young has more.<br />At COVID-19 screening centers, the medical staff must wear thick protective suits.<br />But despite such efforts, medical teams in Daegu and Gyeongsangbuk-do Province were unable to avoid infections amid a surge in cases in February.<br />"The surge in cases has led to more infections among medical staff."<br />To protect medical staff, South Korean researchers have developed a remote sampling technology.<br />The researcher controls the robot using a master device while watching a monitor from a separate room to check the position of the nostril.<br />The remote robot then moves as directed and collects the sample.<br />The sensors on the robot also allow the user to adjust the strength of the swab.<br />"We have to be able to see if the force is properly felt to check if the swab is in the right place, so it was designed to measure the force."<br />The researchers plan to add artificial intelligence technology to the robot so that it can automatically locate the sample area.<br />The robot, developed using purely domestic technology, will be deployed to front-line medical facilities immediately after clinical trials.<br />Park Se-young, Arirang News.<br />
