Robots to the rescue: How tech firms are helping hospitals in Covid crisis

Tech firms are building robots to help hospitals treating Covid-19 patients

As you step inside a Chennai hospital which is treating Covid-19 patients, you hear a soft, humming sound. Look around, and you find that it’s the sound of a robot moving around the lobby and the hallway. Its task? To go to various parts of the hospital and disinfect them.  

The robot, named Astra-C, uses its ultraviolet light (UVC)-based disinfection equipment to kill the coronavirus. It communicates directly with the elevator to reach a particular floor and empty isolation wards which need to be disinfected. Astra-C is programmed to carry out the disinfection on its own since UVC light is