Automating COVID-19 Testing

During the COVID-19 pandemic, regular testing became a critical tool for controlling the spread of the virus. However, traditional testing methods require healthcare workers to be in close contact with potentially infected individuals, increasing their risk of exposure. The Swab Robot for Naso- and Oropharyngeal Coronavirus Screening (SR-NOCS) system aims to reduce this risk by automating the swabbing process, allowing tests to be conducted with minimal human supervision. Thiscould alleviate some of the strain on healthcare systems during periods of high demand, such as pandemics, while also reducing the risk of infection for medical personnel.

The results demonstrated complete agreement between the samples collected by the robot and those collected manually. Additionally, participants expressed a high level of acceptance, with all subjects willing to undergo future tests using the autonomous system. The paper highlights the possibility of deploying such systems in healthcare settings to support mass testing efforts, especially in environments where maintaining safety and efficiency is crucial.

For more details, the full paper is available in Nature: Autonomous swab robot for naso- and oropharyngeal COVID-19 screening | Scientific Reports (nature.com)

Paper authors: Simon Haddadin, Dirk Wilhelm, Daniel Wahrmann, Fabio Tenebruso, Hamid Sadeghian, Abdeldjallil Naceri & Sami Haddadin