Robot food cart delivers meals to hospital patients in Thailand
A robot food cart could save medics from Covid-19 exposure by delivering meals to patients at a hospital in Thailand.
Footage shows the remote-controlled machine with a smartphone attached for camera and control system carrying water bottles and food trays at a hospital in Phrae province on May 8.
The robot prototype is 40cm wide, 50cm long, and 12cm tall allowing it to carry more than 30kg worth of food and beverage around different wards in the hospital.
Student researchers at the Phrae Technical College built the robot to help enforce social distancing inside hospitals and prevent direct contact to coronavirus-infected patients.
School director Asawin Khom-awut said: ‘The previous two versions had no communication system so in this third prototype we added a way so that patients could speak to medics through the robots.
‘We’re developing a fourth version where we intend to add the ability to spray disinfectants and carry medicines between the patients in the building.’ Kritanon Thanomsaptawee chief of the Provincial Federation of Thai Industries said they collaborated with the college to help create inventions that could be useful in the pandemic.
He said: ‘Our federation and the private sectors have collaborated amid the pandemic to create inventions to help medical personnel.
‘After learning about the project, we quickly offered the college a hand to help them with technical and financial issues.’