A Canadian startup has made the process of getting a COVID-19 vaccine much easier with a robot that injects a shot directly into the muscle without the use of a needle.
Developers of the Cobi robot, designed at the University of Waterloo in Ontario, say the droid has successfully performed the first autonomous robotic intramuscular injection.
Cobi is dependent on a high-pressure jet of serum that passes through an opening in the skin on the width of a human hair.
Using LiDAR sensors, the same technology used by autonomous vehicles to map the road, Cobi makes a model of the patient’s body, and AI-based software determines the optimal site for injection.
“We equipped Cobi to use a needle-free injection technology and to demonstrate that patients could receive intramuscular injections, such as vaccines, without needles and without the involvement of a healthcare professional,” said Tim Lasswell, co-founder and CEO of Cobionix in a statement.
Instead of a hypodermic, the Cobi robot (above) relies on a high-pressure jet of vaccine that passes through an opening in the skin the width of a human hair
In theory, a patient would register online and then arrive at a clinic or pharmacy and present their camera ID on Cobi’s touchscreen interface to confirm.
Several 3D sensors would detect the patient’s presence, according to the New Atlas, and Cobi’s robotic arm collects a vial of vaccine.
And then creates the model of the patient using its LiDAR sensors before injecting them with the vaccine.
“Autonomous solutions like Cobi could protect healthcare professionals, reduce healthcare costs and improve patient outcomes,” said Cobonix co-founder Nima Zamani.
A camera on Cobi’s touch screen scans the patient’s identification to confirm their identity
“Cobi’s autonomous nature also dramatically reduces the infrastructure requirements for vaccine clinics, which can help reach populations in remote areas with limited access to medical treatment,” he added.
Lasswell and Zamani met while studying mechanical engineering at the University of Waterloo more than ten years ago.
They launched Cobionix in 2019, accompanied by a “shared vision that we shared for the future, followed by a decision to be a part of creating this future instead of watching it unfold before us,” Zamani said.
Cobi uses LIDAR sensors to model the patient’s body and AI-based software to determine the optimal injection site
The robot was developed at Velocity, the University of Waterloo’s innovation incubator.
While Cobi could help alleviate the shortage of healthcare professionals to administer COVID vaccines, Lasswell and Zamani see that it has a number of uses.
“Cobi is a versatile robotic platform that can be quickly implemented to complete tasks with 100 percent autonomy,” Lasswell said.
They are primarily aimed at healthcare, hospitality and cleaning technology because “all of these industries suffer from labor shortages and low efficiency,” he said, adding that the team also “has a significant amount of experience in these industries.”
The pandemic has fueled a boom in robot technology aimed at limiting staff shortages and avoiding exposure. Spot, the Boston Dynamics robot dog, has been recycled at Harvard Medical School to detect COVID-19 symptoms six feet away
Lasswell said it would take about two years before Cobi is ready for commercial use.
The pandemic has fueled a boom in robotic technology aimed at limiting staff shortages and avoiding exposure: At a hospital outside Cairo, Cira-03, a robotic nurse with a human-like face and arms performs coronavirus tests and reminds patients to wear a maybe.
And Spot, Boston Dynamics’ robotic dog, has been recycled at Harvard Medical School to detect COVID-19 symptoms six feet away.
‘Dr. Spot ‘can perform other minor procedures, including vital signs assessment and placement of intravenous catheters, and an iPad attached to the Spot’s base allows doctors and nurses to conduct telesealth interviews with patients via real-time video chat.
Published first at News of America
