The robotics industry, particularly in China, may see a boom as service robots work in hospitals and other no-contact situations
A robot transports food to diners at during the novel coronavirus outbreak in Shanghai, China on March 19 2020. Picture: REUTERS/ALY SONG
That could take the use of service robots from novelties that deliver food and drink in restaurants and hotels to an army that performs essential functions in hospitals bound by strict no-contact rules. “Compared to the robots you see in manufacturing plants, these seemed like gimmicks with nothing unique about them,” Gong Peng, deputy dean at Shenzhen University General Hospital, said. However, once the virus hit, various companies donated disinfectant and food delivery robots to the hospital, proving their usefulness both in preventing virus transmission and managing supplies.
Beijing-based Yunji Technology, which makes delivery robots, and Shanghai-based TMIRob, which makes disinfectant robots, have increased distribution in the wake of the virus, according to investor Yu Chen, the MD of venture capital firm Yunqi Capital. Many Chinese semiconductor plants located in the virus epicentre of Wuhan have run continuously throughout the outbreak, which chip industry experts attribute to their highly automated production processes.
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