Data on Infectious Diseases and Conditions Described by Researchers at Tsinghua University (An Automatic Implementation of Oropharyngeal Swab Sampling for Diagnosing Respiratory Infectious Diseases via Soft Robotic End-Effectors).

Researchers at Tsinghua University have developed a robotic system for collecting samples from the oropharynx to diagnose respiratory infectious diseases. The system uses a soft robotic end-effector that can perform all the necessary tasks involved in swab sampling, including loosening and tightening the transport medium tube cap, holding the swab, conducting sampling, snapping off the swab tail, and sterilizing itself. The researchers successfully tested the system on 20 volunteers and found that it collected sufficient numbers of cells for respiratory disease diagnosis. This development could potentially reduce the risk to healthcare workers and improve the accuracy of diagnoses. [Extracted from the article]