Autonomous Swab Robot for Naso- and Oropharyngeal COVID-19 Screening

Abstract

The COVID-19 outbreak triggered a global health and economic crisis. With widespread cases and fatalities, testing is crucial to control viral spread. A recommended method, the combined naso-and oropharyngeal swab, poses risks and requires limited protective gear. In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, we developed and tested the first autonomous Swab Robot for Naso-and Oropharyngeal Coronavirus Screening (SR-NOCS). This groundbreaking device underwent two clinical studies—one conducted during the initial pandemic lockdown in Europe and the other after the pandemic had subsided early this year in a public place. In total, 52 patients suspected of COVID-19 infection were included in these clinical studies. The results showed a complete positive correlation between autonomous and manual sampling. The subject acceptance rate was very high; all test subjects stated they would repeat a test by SR-NOCS in the future. Based on these results, such systems could augment testing capabilities with the potential to conduct up to 300 tests per robot per day with the same precision in all the tests. Moreover, these tests can be conducted with minimum supervision and reduce infection risks, effectively protecting patients and healthcare workers and sparing personal protection equipment.