A robot by the name of Cobi has delivered the first robotic intra-muscular injection on a human subject, all without using a needle.
The robot, developed by Canadian start-up Cobionix, used needle-free injection technology developed elsewhere to deliver the shot.
This involved delivering a high-pressure jet of fluid deep into the tissue of the arm through an opening no wider than a human hair.
Cobi is a versatile robotics platform, meaning that it can be programmed to complete very different tasks.
Most robots have previously been designed to perform one task or a narrow range of very similar tasks with high efficiency.
A good example of this specific approach could be robots that have been deployed for years on conveyor lines in the manufacturing and automotive industries.
Versatile robots such as Cobi have become more popular over recent years.
The basic model can be built in bulk numbers, and generally only software updates and minor retooling alterations are required to allow it to perform a new task.
The ability to deliver shots autonomously was an important element
Medical robots have previously been built that can perform tasks up to and including surgery while controlled at a remote distance by a surgeon or other clinician.
Cobi’s delivery of an injection to a human subject differed because it was all done autonomously.
The robot first uses cameras to recognise that a patient is present and identifies them using documentation.
It then uses a LiDAR (Light Detection and Ranging) system located in the robot’s hand to scan the patient’s body and create a 3D map, which is used by an AI-based system to determine the best place to deliver the injection.
LiDAR is a technique that uses lasers and is commonly utilised in autonomous vehicle technology.
The patient is instructed what to do next, including how to stand and any articles of clothing to remove or roll up, via an on-screen display.
The robot then collects and delivers the shot, without the need for the presence of a human clinician.
The trial has implications not only for the rollout of mass vaccination programmes that currently require large numbers of human clinicians to deliver the shots, but also for delivering shots of various kinds in remote locations.
Cobionix co-founder Nima Zamani said that autonomous solutions could help reduce costs, protect frontline health workers and improve patient outcomes.
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