As the novel coronavirus has swept through China, infecting and killing more, the country's authorities are taking measures to curb it.
Сhinese developers are now working on the research and development of a robot that can replace nurses in conducting throat testing to reduce the spread of the novel coronavirus.
The R&D started over a week ago by the country's major robot manufacturer Siasun and the Shenyang Institute of Automation of the Chinese Academy of Sciences.
Multiple departments have been mobilized in the development, installation, and testing work to save time.
In a new coronavirus test, a nurse uses a swab to collect secretions from the patient's throat for testing, which risks infecting the nurse because of the exposure to the virus.
The robot, which will include a snake-shaped mechanical arm and a swab collection part, can be controlled remotely to protect the medical staff from being infected, according to Siasun Robot and Automation Co Ltd.
Based in Shenyang, capital of northeast China's Liaoning Province, Siasun was founded in 2000 and listed on the Growth Enterprise Market in 2009.