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Coronavirus: Tech Company Repurposes Robots to Fight a Pandemic
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July 28, 2020
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2:54Now PlayingBefore Covid-19, Paaila Technology worked in robotics and AI. Now, it's turning its old robots into nursing robots and ventilators.
"What we saw was a lot of repetitive and monotonous tasks such as nurses giving medicines, doctor consulting the patients. We could automate all these processes with our robots and we could save their life," said CEO Binay Raut.
Nepal has a shortage of ventilators. According to the Ministry of Health and Population, the country has 840 units as of April 2020, for a population of about 29 million people.
"We worked extensively with biomeds, doctors and available resources. And we tried to fill the gap," said Raut.
Paaila's first ventilator was influenced by an MIT design and made in 20-25 days.
"We had to make the entire ventilator from the resources that were available in the country because every transportation system was stopped," said Sagar Shrestha, head of product development for Paaila.
The tech company faced funding challenges as well.
Paaila's first ventilator has been tested in some hospitals.
"So compared with the modern ventilator, it's not there yet, but it's almost there," said Dr. Prabhat Adhikari, an infectious disease and critical care specialist at Grande International Hospital.
Paaila is now focusing on an upgraded ventilator design, which includes feedback from doctors. The company hopes to get to a point where it can manufacture its ventilators and provide them to every ambulance as well as remote parts of the country.
"I think the most rewarding part is yet to come," said Shrestha, "and it is when lives are saved by our ventilators."
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