With so much attention focused on discovering and ascertaining every possible and authentic means for the cure for the Corona virus pandemic, many people seem not to put into consideration the fact that those at the forefront of this fight against the deadly pandemic also need some form protection as well.
Many health care professionals, nurses, doctors and volunteer workers from NGO’s had lost their lives as well in their bid to help. Save and protect victims and patients suffering from infections of the covid-19.
It was therefore a welcomed development when news sources announced that some Nigerian secondary school students have come up with an impressive invention to reduce COVID-19 infections among health workers.
According to the story, the students were said to have developed a machine in form of a robot which would help you deliver drugs to COVID-19 patients in their wards.
Describing the robot, the students disclosed that it has the capability to read patients’ temperature and provide an interface for doctors to interact with them.
News sources revealed that these team of students responsible for this new scientific invention were from Glisten International Academy in Abuja, Nigeria.
Their sole objective was to provide special care to healthcare givers thus they deemed it necessary to invent a solution to minimise the risks faced by health workers during the pandemic.
The mobile robot that was developed by the students was named Mairabot and it was programmed to carry out special duties which included delivery of medication among other duties, to COVID-19 patients.
Meanwhile, Charity Ogbuduke, the school nurse, speaking to BBC Africa, confirmed that the robot has several compartments like shelves where the drugs meant for the patients are loaded from. Which easy calculations and dispensations of medical prescriptions are carried out?
She went further to explain how the machine functioned. She revealed that the drugs are labelled for easy identification by the patients. After loading, the robot is then sent around to patients, allowing doctors and nurses to stay safe while attending to the patients. Jamil Dawaki, one of the students behind the tech invention, said Mairabot is a very unique robot that can be moved and navigated through an X-box game controller and VR headset. Dawaki explained that X-box game controller and the VR headset are connected to the robot and a camera and the robot so that he can see where the robot is going and control it appropriately.
Legit.ng further confirmed that Mairabot uses Artificial Intelligence to move. While approaching the patient, it can read their temperature, deliver drugs and provide an interface for doctors to interact with patients. The students developed the robots with the help of their teacher. Nabila Abubakar, another student behind the innovation, said the name Mairabot was picked because it’s a combination of all the names the participating students.
Hamza Hamisu, another student involved in the project, said they decided to wrap the robot up with an Ankara fabric to “Nigerianise” it. The students’ plan is for the robots to go global and support healthcare workers wherever they might be, reduce health risks for frontline staff while maintaining the doctor-patient relationship.
Reacting to the new developments, Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar commended the students for coming up with such an important invention. The Nigeria’s former vice president and presidential candidate of the PDP in the 2019 elections, congratulated the students just as he noted that Nigeria needs to invest in its youths more than ever before.
He stated: “Innovations like this give me hope that a better Nigeria is possible. We need to invest in our youths more than ever before. Congratulations to the team at Glisten International Academy, @glistenint, that developed this robot to protect healthcare workers in the season of COVID19.”
In line with Atiku’s suggestions, many proud Nigerians are of the strong opinion that these students should be given a global platform and encouraged to showcase their raw talent and qualities in contributing their quota in helping to fight this global disease.
Gift Joseph Okpakorese
Staff Writer
