HEALTH & WELFARE

Top: Medicaroid is part of the Kobe Biomedical Innovation Cluster,where innovative medical technologies are developed to serve the globalcommunity.
https://www.fbri-kobe.org/kbic/english/movies/#movie02

Right: The robotic PCR testing system can be loaded into a truck
container and taken where needed.

Top: Robots conduct every step of the PCR testing process, protecting healthcare workers from the risk of infection.
Right: The technical capabilities cultivated in the development of industrial robots enable such actions as opening a lidwith a mechanical arm.

COVID -19TESTING ROBOTSPROTECT HEALTHCARE WORKERS

An automated PCR testing system, based on Japanese robotic technologies,
will contribute towards resolving problems hindering healthcare.
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As the COVID-19 pandemic
rages on, all eyes are on an
automated polymerase chain
reaction (PCR) testing systemdevelopedbyMedicaroid
Corporation, a Kobe-based
company that produces robots
for medical use. Kobe city ishome to Japan’s largest clusterof biomedical technology, withmore than 360 research facilities,
hospitals, manufacturers, anduniversities concentrated in one
area, where government, industry,
and academia work together todevelop state-of-the-art medicaltechnologies. The PCR testing
system is the fruit of publicprivate cooperation between thecity of Kobe and Medicaroid.
Medicaroid is a joint venturecompany established by Sysmex
Corporation, which deals inclinical testing equipment andreagents, and Kawasaki Heavy
Industries, Ltd., a leader inindustrial robot technology.
PCR testing faces the difficultyof procuring enough personnel
to perform complex procedures,
while also needing to protect
those workers from infection.
Combining the know-how of
the two companies has made it
possible to create an innovative
system that uses robots to provide
a stable testing regime, whileshielding healthcare workers fromthe risk of infection at the sametime.
The system automates all theprocedures required for PCR
testing, such as inactivating
samples, extracting their nucleic
acid, and subjecting them toPCR inspection. The industrial
robot technology developedby Kawasaki Heavy Industries
enables robots to accomplish
those precise motions.
“Robots are useful for solving
medical problems, but making
them work is not as easy as itsounds. Using a robotic arm
to open a specimen container
Hinotori, Japan’s first surgical robot system, wasalso developed by Medicaroid. “We believe thatsuch excellent robot technology can contributeto the betterment of medical care,” says President
Asano.

Transportable by Trailer: Easy to installinvolves a complex series of precise
motions, and that requires a highlevel of technology,” says ASANO
Kaoru, president of Medicaroid.
The robotic system also
contributes to greater efficiency.
In existing methods, tests arenormally conducted in batches of
96 samples, but the new system iscapable of handling eight-samplebatches, one after the other. The
time it takes from accepting asample to reporting the result isreduced to 80 minutes, one-third
the time it takes now. One system
can perform 2,000 tests per day(16 hours), making it particularly
suitable for venues where speed isimportant, such as internationalairports. The goal is to introduce
the new system in 2021. It is alsoa space-saving unit that can beloaded into a 40-foot container
and transported to large events,
where it can be set up for testing.
If robotic testing systems
become ubiquitous and testresults are made rapidly available,
air travel and public events can beenjoyed again without anxiety.
“We will continue to contribute tosocial solutions with our robotictechnology,” declares PresidentAsano.

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