Meet Grace, a humanoid robot specialized in adult care

Robot helps community during pandemic 0:50

(CNN) -

In 2016, Hanson Robotics took the world by storm with Sophia, a humanoid robot who became famous for receiving Saudi Arabian citizenship.

Now, the Hong Kong-based robotics company unveiled its latest invention: Grace, a humanoid robot that hopes to revolutionize healthcare.

• Meet the robot that helps the community during the pandemic in Indonesia

Designed as a physician's assistant, Grace is equipped with sensors, including a thermal camera to detect a patient's temperature and pulse, to help physicians diagnose illness and administer treatments.

The android is also a companion for patients.

Specializing in caring for the elderly, Grace speaks three languages: English, Mandarin, and Cantonese, and is able to socialize and engage in conversation therapy.

Robots like Grace are intended to be a support for medical professionals rather than a substitute, says Hanson Robotics founder and CEO David Hanson.

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"The use of Artificial Intelligence and robotics in this context can help collect important data so that healthcare professionals can assess patient well-being," he adds.

Developed specifically for the medical sector, Grace's launch comes amid the coronavirus pandemic, as demand for telehealth and contactless care solutions has increased.

According to the International Federation of Robotics (IFR), global sales of medical robots were already on the rise before the pandemic, increasing 28% between 2018 and 2019. The IFR predicts that the value of the sector it could almost double in the next three years.

Hanson Robotics says it will start mass-producing robots, like Sophia and Grace, in late 2021.

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