Boston Dynamics robot dogs help coronavirus patients

Robot cars were already helping transport medicine. Now, robot dogs are helping protect healthcare workers from the coronavirus.

Spot, a four-legged robot from robotics company Boston Dynamics, is being put to use at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Massachusetts during the coronavirus pandemic. In a paper released Thursday, Boston Dynamics explained how the quadruped bot was quickly transformed into a medical worker in a matter of weeks. 

With an iPad and two-way radio on the robot, healthcare workers video conference with patients and remotely control Spot as the robot dog walks through rooms with infected or potentially infected patients. 

After the hospital reached out to Boston Dynamics six weeks ago, Spot has been reprogrammed to help with initial patient assessments. These are real patients with coronavirus symptoms that usually require up to five healthcare professionals to assess them. 

Boston Dynamics is opening up its software and hardware to help more medical workers avoid exposure with telemedicine. It wants robotics teams to develop new ways to remotely measure body temperature, respiratory rate, pulse rate, and oxygen saturation. 

Only a month ago, Spot was helping factory workers. Now the robotic dog is helping essential medical workers interact with people with COVID-19.