Railways develops robot to monitor COVID-19 patients, run errands for docs

The South Central Railway (SCR) zone has developed an innovative robotic device called RAIL-BOT or R-BOT for assisting in hospital management and helping railways doctors in patient care.

The robotic device is meant to be used in railway hospitals under the division for safe patient care and to speed up the pace of work.

CH Rakesh, Chief Public Relation Officer (CPRO), South Central Railways told The Federal that R-BOT is being used to administer medicines, medical accessories and food to COVID-19 patients. The device will also guard doctors, nurses and other medical staff against contracting the infection from patients.

The robot has been developed by Hem Singh Banoth, Additional Divisional Railway Manager, Hyderabad Division, South Central Railways and his team. The robot underwent extensive trials and demonstration before being deployed for use in the Central Railway Hospital, Lallaguda at Secunderabad.

The Rail-BOT is operated through a unique mobile application developed as part of the innovation and is supported by Wi-Fi facility. The device has sensor-based features which read the body temperature of a patient and transmit it o­n mobile phones. The robot is also capable of raising an alarm in case of any abnormality in the temperature readings so as to alert doctors or nurses attending the patients.

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The features of Rail-BOT are as follows:

• Real time video camera with pan and tilt functions.
• The device acts as a two-way audio and video communication medium with recording facilities, to enable smooth interaction between patients and doctors.
• R-BOT uses infra-red technology with emergency night lamp and night vision to enable communication, even in complete darkness.
• The device holds eight direction motion controls with observation avoidance sensors as well as motion detection to circumvent any foreign object in its way.
• R-BOT has a speed of 1 kmph with a load carrying capacity of 80 kg.
• The technology has been kept simple, with R-Bot capable of continuously functioning o­n a single charge of battery for almost six hours.
• It can be operated by using an android mobile app and a radio frequency (RF) remote controller.

Currently, plans are in the offing to further develop and innovate the R-BOT device, in terms of the optimal functional efficiency, which can lead to a greater use of the device at the medical facilities o­f the railway zone.