Insight
New Danish robot swabs patients’ throats for Covid-19
In just four weeks, a Danish robotics startup, Lifeline Robotics, a spin-out of the Maersk Mc-Kinney Moller Institute at the University of Southern Denmark (SDU) in Odense, has succeeded in developing the world’s first fully automatic throat-swabbing robot. Lifeline Robotics is now looking to automate, scale, and improve COVID-19 testing to ensure healthcare professionals from being exposed to the risk of infection.
WHO recommends a large-scale testing strategy, but at the same time, health professionals are at risk of being infected when doing throat swabs on potential corona patients. Therefore, a throat swab robot was high on the wish list when Professor Thiusius Rajeeth Savarimuthu, after Covid-19 made its entry in March, spoke with his research colleagues at Odense University Hospital, OUH.
“There are prospects in developing a throat swab robot so that robots can take over the throat swabbing work both in relation to Covid-19, but also in all future viruses,”
Medical Director, Kim Brixen, from OUH has followed the development of the robot in the hands of the researchers. He also sees great advantage in the fact that the robot does not get tired or bored of monotonous work, and that the healthcare professionals can be used in other functions where there are a high demand for their presence. He points out that the robot can play a leading role in a new strategy against common types of flu.
“Large-scale testing is part of our community's reopening strategy. The robot has great potential for mass screening for Covid-19 in the healthcare sector, but also in connection with border control or at airports. At the same time, we see that regular flu seems to have decreased during the lockdown. This may imply that we may need to rethink our strategy against the flu,”
The Danish fully automatic throat swab robot is scheduled to swab the first patients for Covid-19 already by late June.
At Invest in Denmark, the project brought great excitement due to its many qualities.
At Invest in Denmark, the project brought great excitement due to its many qualities.
“This project, which was born under pressure from COVID-19, displays Denmark’s world-class research within robotics, and how Danish researchers look at relevant application areas and creates innovative automated solution for it.”
How it works
With a 3D printed, specially designed disposable tool, the robot holds a swab and hits the exact spot in the throat from which the sample is to be collected. Subsequently, the robot puts the swab into a glass and put the lid on to seal the sample.
Watch a video on how it works here
The robot is ready for the global market
In the shadow of the corona, the researchers have in record time managed to develop a robot that can safely be entrusted with the swab. Now the robot is ready to move out of the lab.
“Our vision is to get the robot out to do good on the global market as quickly as possible: in airports, in refugee camps or where else it might be needed,”
While researchers have been struggling with robotics, power management and vision technology, Søren Stig has been struggling to get investment in place and bring together a strong team aiming at turning the throat swab robot into a commercial success internationally, in line with other proud robotic bigwigs.
The throat swabbing robot has received 2 million DKK ($290,000 U.S.) in funding from Vaekstfonden, which is the Danish state’s investment fund. Other investors consist of a consortium in which the Swedish venture fund Norrsken Foundation joins 50 per cent, while REInvest Robotics and SDU share the last 50 per cent. Its future development is also supported by Odense University Hospital.
The throat swabbing robot has received 2 million DKK ($290,000 U.S.) in funding from Vaekstfonden, which is the Danish state’s investment fund. Other investors consist of a consortium in which the Swedish venture fund Norrsken Foundation joins 50 per cent, while REInvest Robotics and SDU share the last 50 per cent. Its future development is also supported by Odense University Hospital.
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