These days, a new "employee" -meal delivery robothas been hired in the isolation ward for treating novel coronavirus infection cases in Sir Run Run Shaw Hospital affiliated with the Zhejiang University School of Medicine.
It is a smart robot which is chiefly responsible for delivering meals to the isolation ward so as to avoid unnecessary contact and protect patients and medical staff maximally. Each time it delivers a la carte meals to the ward, it will automatically call the room number and inform relevant patients to take their meals. Upon taking meals, patients will return to their rooms. It takes 1-2 minutes to complete a delivery task. It can also simply offer packed meals. While patrolling at a slow pace, it will give its courtesy reminder: Time for meals.
According to LIU Lilin from the Department of Infectious Diseases in Sir Run Run Shaw Hospital, this robot is donated by an enterprise. The primary purpose of using the robot in food delivery is to reduce contact as much as possible and preclude the likelihood of infection. Throughout the delivery process, patients can literally take meals without the slightest contact. Even if they touch the robot, they can disinfect themselves with alcohol-containing tissues, thus diminishing the probability of cross-infection.
The enterprise has donated over 20 robots to hospitals and isolation sites in Hangzhou, Wenzhou, Ningbo, Huzhou, etc. It has become one of the special logistic forces to contain and fight the epidemic.
In addition to meal delivery, the robot will be set to the patrol-and-reminder mode, reminding patients to drink more water and take their temperatures on a regular basis. This is of considerable importance to real-time reminders, standardized management and heightened medical awareness.
