Robot Nurses May Soon Work in Hospitals

A Hong Kong-based robotics firm has created a humanoid robot designed to assist medical professionals and in times of pandemics, its invention could revolutionize the way patients are treated.

“Using AI and robotics in this context can help gather important data for healthcare providers to assess the wellbeing of the patient,” says David Hanson, CEO and founder of Hanson Robotics.

Grace, the humanoid robot, acts as an assistant for doctors by detecting a patient’s temperature and pulse through sensors and thermal camera, but also as a companion for patients as it can socialize and conduct talk therapy either in English, Mandarin or Cantonese. Contactless care is particularly in demand because of the coronavirus pandemic, but according to the International Federation of Robotics, the demand for such technology had already increased by 28% from 2018 and 2019. The company intends to mass-produce its robots by the end of 2021.