According to the Xinhua state news agency, about 30 have been deployed in Wuhan’s major hospitals to help with disinfection, food delivery and basic checkups to take the load off the overworked medical staff.
The robots were built by Shanghai-based TMiRob and are outfitted with navigation and communication technology, as well as artificial intelligence, which enables them to make medical judgments regarding patients, the agency reported.
"After seeing the front line of the fight against the virus, I understand more deeply the value of smart products. We will try our best to protect the medical staff from the virus-contaminated environment with advanced technologies," said Du Pu, a regional sales director of Shanghai TMiRob, as reported by Xinhua.
Another robotics firm, CloudMinds, along with China Mobile's Shanghai branch, donated a batch of 5G-powered robots to a Shanghai hospital, where more than 250 people are being treated for coronavirus infection.
The new strain of coronavirus was first detected in the Chinese city of Wuhan in December and has since spread to more than 25 countries. The virus has already left more than 630 dead and over 31,000 infected. Last week, the World Health Organization declared a global health emergency in light of the outbreak.
