Boston Dynamics Robot Dog, “Spot,” is allowing doctors at a Massachusetts hospital to diagnose patients from over six feet away, they say.
An infrared camera mounted on the robot measures temperature and breathing rate, and can even do so through a face mask. Three other cameras filter different wavelengths of light to gauge pulse rate and blood oxygen saturation.
The “VitalCam” as it’s called, could allow health care workers to examine and treat patients who may be Covid-positive, while maintaining their social distance.
So far Spot’s capabilities have only been tested on healthy subjects, but researchers and engineers say the machine is ready for real-world applications.
The next step would be to test it out in an emergency room setting with real-life Covid-positive patients.
Photo by Boston Dynamics