COVID-19: Italy Hospital Deploys ‘Robot Nurse’ To Assist Health Officials

Italy’s Circolo hospital, in Varese, has deployed one out of six new robots to help human doctors and nurses fight the Coronavirus pandemic.

The hospital’s Director of Intensive Care, Doctor Francesco Dentali, said that the new development reduces the risk of medical officials contracting the virus.

“It’s like having another nurse without problems related to infection,” he said.
Italy is currently the epicentre of Coronavirus pandemic, with about 13,000 deaths,including 66 doctors.

Dentali also said part of the advantages robots have was that they do not require face masks or other human preventive measures.

But he added that it would take a little while for patients to understand their functionality.

“You have to explain to the patient the aim and function of the robot,” Dentali said.

Reuters reports that the child-size robots with large blinking eyes are wheeled into rooms and left by a patient’s bedside so doctors can look after others who are in more serious conditions.