“ Robots are tireless assistants. They cannot be contaminated, they are never sick ”: these recruits are dubbed by the head of the intensive care unit of the Circolo hospital in Varese in Italy (north), submerged by coronavirus patients.
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Controlled remotely, the six robots recently acquired by the hospital are working with patients, verifying vital parameters or triggering procedures essential for keeping these hard-hit patients alive. Some of the robots are white, with screens and sensors on what acts as a head, others, simpler, look like a small black broom on wheels with a rectangular screen head. All seem to have come out of a futuristic film.
A nurse manipulates a robot. MIGUEL MEDINA / AFP
By controlling these electronic jewels remotely, doctors and nurses at this Varese hospital protect themselves and save on protective equipment. And according to doctors, these little robots have another advantage: they make certain patients smile.
Close to the Swiss border, Varese is one of the most spared areas in Lombardy, a region which accounts for more than half of the deaths in Italy. However, his hospital received many patients from hard-hit areas, such as Bergamo, where health services were creaking everywhere.
Medical staff in Lombardy have been " hard hit by the virus." The fact that these robots cannot be contaminated is something great, ”says Francesco Dentali.
