That Very Good Robotic Dog Is Now Helping Hospitals Fight the Coronavirus

You may have seen some viral videos of Spot the robot dog from Boston Dynamics. Over the past year there have been many videos of Spot doing things from towing a truck to dancing.

 

During the COVID crisis Spot has started helping in the fight against the disease. Healthcare workers in the U.S. treating patients have contracted the disease themselves. To limit patient contact Boston-area hospitals contacted Boston Dynamics about using their robot.

Spot has been working for over two weeks in telemedicine support. It’s been helping in settings like triage tents and parking lots.

Some of these initial contacts were taking up to 5 medical staff members, who are in high risk of contracting the virus. Spot has been fitted with an iPad and two-way radio which allows healthcare workers to video conference with the patients. This has reduced the contact with patients, which results in less infected healthcare workers and less PPE being required.

Boston Dynamics hopes to make the robot even more useful in the near future. They are working on ways for Spot to measure vital signs like body temperature, respiratory rate, and pulse. Once that has been developed, they plan to use UV-C light to sanitise surfaces inside hospitals.