Though all the hardships and tragedies that the Lebanese are going through, their innovation and diligence continues to shine through and rise up against every new challenge.
After witnessing the recent alarming surge in their country’s daily coronavirus (COVID-19) infection case numbers, a Lebanese team from the robotics company Spexal created a handy robot that can reduce costs for the hospitals that use it.
The mobile, square-shaped robot was recently tested in the isolation unit of Hôtel-Dieu de France Hospital, where it has since been left for the hospital to utilize.
Using a wireless connection, the robot can be controlled remotely from a laptop and moved into patient rooms inside the hospital.
Usually, nurses and doctors who enter these rooms several times a day have to regularly use up fresh personal protective equipment each time, such as face masks and gloves, and put themselves at risk of catching the virus.
With this invention, it’s now possible to firstly minimize contact with isolated patients, and secondly save time and protective equipment in a time when Lebanon is recording between 500 and 600 new infections per day.
“The goal is to ensure remote communication with patients in isolation units as well as the safe delivery of medical supplies and food,” Ziad Shalala, one of the founders of Spexal, told Al-Anbaa.
“It guarantees a two-way audio and video communication between the infected patient and the nurses or doctors.”
Shalala said that this type of robot has proven useful in situations involving COVID-19, and mentioned that several hospitals have already contacted the company to obtain a copy of it in its current version.
With that said, he indicated that the robot is not meant to replace a hospital’s medical staff, but to support them in their daily tasks and reduce the risks they get exposed to throughout.
