New generation sampling robot debuts in Luohu

An upgraded fully automated robot for nasopharyngeal swab sampling had collected 634 nucleic acid samples during volunteer tests before being put into clinical use as of June 14, Shenzhen Luohu Hospital Group announced recently.

A robot takes a user’s nasopharyngeal swab. Courtesy of the Shenzhen Luohu Hospital Group

The tests showed that 85% of the participants had their samples collected successfully the first time, and 92% of them had successful collections the second time. Among the participants, 82% said that the robots who took their swabs were similar or better than manual collection.

The sampling robot is the second generation of Pengcheng Qinggeng (鹏程青耕). It uses advanced laser technique applications, enabling the robot to take samples from any designated position.

According to Shenzhen Luohu Hospital Group, who led the robot’s development, the new generation prototype with a half human-like body is designed with two arms that could move omnidirectionally and is equipped with a tablet computer to scan codes. It also features vocals and videos to interact with users.

During a sample collection, the robot will get a tube first, uncover the lid and input the tube’s information. And when a user is positioned to take the test, it will collect his or her information by scanning the health and COVID test codes and directly uploading the user’s information to back-end support. After sample collection, the robot will automatically disinfect its body and clamping jaw before taking the next sample.