Development of an Inherently Safe Nasopharyngeal Swab Sampling Robot Using a Force Restriction Mechanism

Maeng, Chan-Young; Yoon, Jongjun; Kim, Do-Yun; Lee, Jongwon; Kim, Yong-Jae

doi:10.1109/lra.2022.3187499

Cited by 8 publications

(3 citation statements)

References 13 publications

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“…These systems automate the swabbing process, minimizing human contact and reducing the risk of virus transmission while enhancing the efficiency and accuracy of sample collection. Regarding safety, a force restriction mechanism has been implemented in a nasopharyngeal swab sampling robot 50 . This mechanism ensures that excessive force is prevented during sample collection, thereby ensuring patient safety.…”

Section: /15mentioning

confidence: 99%

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

Haddadin,

Wilhelm,

Wahrmann

et al. 2023

Preprint

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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.

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Section: /15mentioning

confidence: 99%

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

Haddadin,

Wilhelm,

Wahrmann

et al. 2023

Preprint

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…These systems automate the swabbing process, minimizing human contact and reducing the risk of virus transmission while enhancing the efficiency and accuracy of sample collection. Regarding safety, a force restriction mechanism has been implemented in a NP swab sampling robot 51 . This mechanism ensures that excessive force is prevented during sample collection, thereby ensuring patient safety.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Autonomous swab robot for naso- and oropharyngeal COVID-19 screening

Haddadin,

Wilhelm,

Wahrmann

et al. 2024

Sci Rep

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The COVID-19 outbreak has triggered a global health and economic crisis, necessitating widespread testing to control viral spread amidst rising cases and fatalities. The recommended testing method, a combined naso- and oropharyngeal swab, poses risks and demands limited protective gear. In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, we developed and tested the first autonomous swab robot station for Naso- and Oropharyngeal Coronavirus Screening (SR-NOCS). A force-sensitive robot running under a Cartesian impedance controller is employed to drive the swab to the sampling area. This groundbreaking device underwent two clinical studies-one conducted during the initial pandemic lockdown in Europe (early 2021) and the other, more recently, in a public place after the pandemic had subsided earlier in the year 2023. In total, 52 patients suspected of COVID-19 infection were included in these clinical studies. The results revealed a complete positive correlation between autonomous and manual sampling. The test subjects exhibited a high acceptance rate, all expressing a willingness to undergo future tests with SR-NOCS. Based on our findings, such systems could enhance testing capabilities, potentially conducting up to 300 tests per robot per day with consistent precision. The tests can be carried out with minimal supervision, reducing infection risks and effectively safeguarding patients and healthcare workers.

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“…Recent studies have focused on robotic-based systems for swab sampling to reduce the burden on HCWs and improve the working environment. First, the basic forms of these automated robots are designed to replace the sampling motion only [5][6][7]. However, these systems still require a significant human workforce for the preparation of tasks such as attaching, cutting, and disposing of swabs.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Deep Neural Network-Based Visual Feedback System for Nasopharyngeal Swab Sampling

Jung,

Moon,

Kim

et al. 2023

Sensors

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During the 2019 coronavirus disease pandemic, robotic-based systems for swab sampling were developed to reduce burdens on healthcare workers and their risk of infection. Teleoperated sampling systems are especially appreciated as they fundamentally prevent contact with suspected COVID-19 patients. However, the limited field of view of the installed cameras prevents the operator from recognizing the position and deformation of the swab inserted into the nasal cavity, which highly decreases the operating performance. To overcome this limitation, this study proposes a visual feedback system that monitors and reconstructs the shape of an NP swab using augmented reality (AR). The sampling device contained three load cells and measured the interaction force applied to the swab, while the shape information was captured using a motion-tracking program. These datasets were used to train a one-dimensional convolution neural network (1DCNN) model, which estimated the coordinates of three feature points of the swab in 2D X–Y plane. Based on these points, the virtual shape of the swab, reflecting the curvature of the actual one, was reconstructed and overlaid on the visual display. The accuracy of the 1DCNN model was evaluated on a 2D plane under ten different bending conditions. The results demonstrate that the x-values of the predicted points show errors of under 0.590 mm from P0, while those of P1 and P2 show a biased error of about −1.5 mm with constant standard deviations. For the y-values, the error of all feature points under positive bending is uniformly estimated with under 1 mm of difference, when the error under negative bending increases depending on the amount of deformation. Finally, experiments using a collaborative robot validate its ability to visualize the actual swab’s position and deformation on the camera image of 2D and 3D phantoms.

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Development of an Inherently Safe Nasopharyngeal Swab Sampling Robot Using a Force Restriction Mechanism

Cited by 8 publications

References 13 publications

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

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

Autonomous swab robot for naso- and oropharyngeal COVID-19 screening

Deep Neural Network-Based Visual Feedback System for Nasopharyngeal Swab Sampling

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