A new and deadly virus originating in China, the coronavirus COVID-19, has infected tens of thousands of people and killed 600 people, 11 in the United States alone.
One of the first things people thought about when fear of coronavirus began to spread was the possibility that goods being built in China and shipped to the U.S.might be spreading the virus. We’ve told you that’s not happening. In fact, robots are helping.
Robots are disinfecting rooms, and even streets. They’re making remote communication easier. They’re delivering medical supplies and food to patients. They’re even supervising quarantines, making sure people stay inside.
A tablet on wheels can take patients’ temperatures, reducing the amount of contact health professionals have to have with infected people. This is also the goal of robots delivering food and medicine to patients. During the SARS outbreak, many of those who died were health professionals. Sending robots to do tasks that may be dangerous for human beings fulfills one of the main reasons for automation.
Artificial intelligence
AI is helping to come up with better testing for the disease and some security systems are switching to facial recognition for fear that fingerprint scanners could spread the disease (which they probably could).
Some researchers are using AI to sort through existing medications in hopes of finding drugs that could be used or modified to treat COVID-19. Since time is of there essence, automating that stage of the research can make a difference.
Other researchers are using AI to track the spread of the virus. Data visualizations make it easier to identify patterns that could be missed without AI’s input.
For the coronavirus, as for so many uses of automation, the improved speed and precision of machinery, plus the fact that it is immune to environments (and infections) that can harm human beings, make automation a real blessing for human beings.
We hope your Rexroth drive and control systems are a great advantage for you, too. If not, let us provide expert service and support for your Rexroth motion control systems, new or legacy.