Coimbatore: Nosy robot lends hand in Covid-19 screening

COIMBATORE: Innovators and entrepreneurs in the city had responded quickly to the challenge posed by the Covid-19 pandemic by assembling a robot nurse that can serve food and medicines to patients, and a contactless test station. Now, a city-based techie has developed a robot that can take nasal and throat swabs from suspected patients.


The robot can be monitored, controlled and operated through a mobile phone app, said Karthik Velayutham, an electronics engineer and app developer. “It can be completely automated, so that healthcare professionals are not exposed to the risk of infection,” he told TOI.

Velayutham had developed a four-wheeled robot that can buy liquor from Tasmac outlets. “Then I began work on the Covid-19 Smart Swab Robot along with Dr V Pradeep from Edappadi,” he said. “This robot can collect nasal swabs or throat swabs for analysis. Its hand can be controlled using a mobile app.”

His invention can be a boon for healthcare workers, who take several measures to ensure that they don’t get infected while taking samples, Velayutham said. “The cost of this robot is only Rs 2,000. Healthcare workers who operate it can effectively maintain social distancing.”

“I can develop fully automated versions of this robot for hospitals. They will scan the face, identify the nose and mouth and insert the swab stick into the chosen cavity. They will also self-sanitize after every sample collection,” he added.