Singapore has designed a self-administered robot that allows people to perform the COVID-19 swab test on their own. The SwabBot is helping reduce healthcare workers’ risk of exposure to the coronavirus.
Allowing the patient to administer their own test with help from the SwabBot reduces the need for trained nurses in the premises. It will also standarie the consistency of swabs taken. Unlike a nurse, the SwabBot won’t get tired after administering large amounts of tests and therefore will perform the same each time.
SwabBot allows patients to administer their own COVID test, meaning they can activate and terminate the process on their own. They simply place their chin on the robot to activate it and start the swabbing process, in which a swab is extended through the nose to the back of the nasal cavity. This is typically 10cm from the nostrils. The entire process takes about 20 seconds.
As of September 2020, the robot had performed a COVID 19 test on 75 patients who have been recruited for the ongoing clinical trial to compare robotic swab tests to manual tests. The medical device is currently in preparation for global commercialization.