Taiwan Has Invented the First Coronavirus Swab Testing Robot

Taiwan seems to be at the forefront of building new technology to combat the ongoing coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. A Taiwanese startup company called Brain Navi recently introduced its Nasal Swab Robot to the public, including to president Tsai Ing-wen last July at the Bio Asia Taiwan exhibition. 

This new invention helps medical frontliners most of all because it’s designed to independently take patient swab samples from confirmed or suspected COVID-19 carriers. That also means patient-staff contact and therefore probable transmission of the virus can greatly be reduced with the use of this robot. 

And if you’re curious about whether or not this robot is recognised by medical professionals, it is. In fact, it’s received approval from Taiwan’s Ministry of Health and Welfare for clinical human trials. As of writing, Brain Navi is now seeking the license for Emergency Use Authorization from both Taiwan and the U.S Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

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How do patients go about swab testing with the Nasal Swab Robot?

Here are the simple steps:

1. The patient is asked to wear the nasal clip provided. 
2. The patient sits on the designated chair. There will be a chin holder in front of him/her. The patient will place his/her forehead on the rest attached to the chin holder. 
3. The robot will then reach for a swab, scan the face of the patient, and will slowly insert the swab in the patient’s nostril. It will even adjust its angle as it processes facial recognition.  
4. The robot will twist the swab for 10 seconds for optimised secretion. 
5. After 10 seconds, it will remove the swab from the patient’s nostril and place the swab back into the transport tube for testing. 

Would you believe that this process only takes five minutes to accomplish compared to the usual 15 minutes when conducted by a human medical professional? What’s more, the use of the Nasal Swab Robot will greatly save on personal protective equipment (PPE)! It’s a win-win situation in more ways than one. 

If you want to see the process conducted in real life, watch the video below. In the video, Brain Navi CEO Jerry Chen himself acts as the patient having a swab test conducted on him. 

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What do you think of Taiwan’s latest technological invention? It sure sounds like an efficient way to help ease the burden on our frontliners. Let us know what you think in the comments!

Featured image credit: Brain Navi | Facebook Page