In a novel initiative that will reduce the use of manpower in COVID-19 wards, a robot has been deployed at the Government Medical College in Ernakulam to serve food and medicines to people who are undergoing treatment for novel coronavirus.
The robot, named ‘KARMI-Bot,’ has been deployed with the aim to keep contact between health workers and patients to a minimum, said Minister for Health KK Shailaja.
“A robot has been assigned to do the task of serving food and medicines to the patients, to disinfect vessels and other materials used by the patients and to return them back. The robot will also arrange facilities for video calling facilities for patients with the doctors. This will drastically reduce the use of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE),” said the minister in a Facebook post on Saturday.
From sanitation workers to medical staff who work in COVID-19 wards, all of the health workers have to use PPE while they are inside the hospital.
The robot was donated by Malayalam film actor Mohanlal’s Viswasanthi Foundation. It was made by Asimov Robotics, a company at the Kerala StartUp Mission’s Maker Village in Kochi.
According to the Health Minister, the robot’s functions accurately once it has been programmed for the functions. The KARMI-Bot can carry upto 25 kg of weight and can move at a speed of one metre per second, the minister added. The robot has been programmed to sanitize the surroundings using soap solution and Ultra-Violet rays. The robot will also be disinfected after it comes out of the COVID-19 ward.
Congratulating the innovative idea, Minister Shailaja also said that actor Mohanlal set an example in donating the robot to the hospital.
Government Medical College at Kalamassery in Ernakulam is the prime COVID-19 care centre in the district. The medical college now works completely as a COVID-19 care centre.
Ernakulam is one of the districts in the state with the least number of COVID-19 positive people under treatment, as of April 25. Only two people are under treatment for the pandemic in Ernakulam, just like Thiruvananthapuram and Malappuram districts. Meanwhile, a total of 116 people are presently under treatment in hospitals in the state.
Watch: