KATHMANDU: Nepali architect Divas Adhikari, who has been working as a researcher at Pohang University of Science and Technology in South Korea, with the help of Professor Xu Hong has developed swab collecting robot booth.
They have named the project ‘Automatic Swab Collection booth’

According to the researcher, the booth collects the swabs of suspicious people and it takes three minutes to collect the swab

Adhikari said that after being tested on human statues recently, it could be used for many other diseases in the future.

“We have developed the robot to assist the health workers. With the help of this, the health workers will be saved and secure and there will be a less chance of transmission while collecting samples,” he added.

The robot works on the command continuously and once the swab is collected, there is no possibility of transferring it to another patient.

The robot has inbuilt of swab storage containers, and swab storage fridges.

The robot collects through ear bud and collects the swab from the patient’s nose.

The patient’s head should be placed at a 70-degree angle and a switch is provided in the patient’s hand. The robot collects the swab and puts it in the fridge.

After a patient’s procedure, the robot takes a one-minute ‘bath’ with a sanitizer and emits UV rays. And then it works again, he said.

Researchers claim that this booth will be further enhanced in the future with a system for sending test results via SMS with patient details.

Adhikari had gone to South Korea for further studies after completing his studies as an architect at Kathmandu Engineering College in Nepal. Although he was an architect, he was interested in robotics from an early age.