Pengcheng Qinggeng, the world’s first robot that can automatically collect nasopharyngeal swabs for COVID-19 nucleic acid tests was met with high praise at the 4th China International Import Expo in Shanghai, which took place Nov. 5-10.

The robot, developed by the Luohu Hospital Group, was invited to take part in the expo.

Many media outlets, including the People’s Daily and Shenzhen TV, have reported about the robot, as well as its research and development process.

The robot was first launched in Luohu in May.

With artificial intelligence technology at its core, it is controlled by a motion planning system and can safely collect nasopharyngeal swabs through precise force control, conducting everything from grasping and calibration to collection, disinfection and sterilization.

As such, standardized sample collection can be achieved and sampling costs can be reduced, helping minimize high-risk exposure for medical staff and saving medical resources.

Using AI visual analysis technology, the robot can automatically judge and recognize more than 500 feature points on the human face, and its motion-tracking function can capture the slightest movements of the individual it serves.

The robot’s core technology is its high sensitivity force control arm and force control servo system. The robot’s minimum force control is about 0.2N, which is similar to that of manual sample collection. In addition, the robot has an emergency pause button that can be used to protect the safety of patients.

The robot’s research and development team hopes that the next generation of the robot will be more intelligent, mobile and intuitive, and that it can be used in high-risk areas such as isolation wards and hotels, effectively revolutionizing epidemic prevention and control.

The team said that the artificial intelligence vision recognition and precision force control technologies will become more developed in the future, and will be applied to the examination, inspection and auxiliary diagnosis of the respiratory tract, bronchi, digestive tract and cardiovascular tissues and organs, which will vastly improve the medical industry.

The robot epitomizes the progress Luohu’s emerging strategic industries have made over the 13th Five-Year Plan period (2016-20). Over the past five years, the characteristics of a high-density, high-end and high-tenacity urban economy in Luohu have become more obvious. Its pillar industries such as finance and commerce developed steadily, while more specific industries such as gold and jewelry saw robust growth. Meanwhile, emerging industries such as artificial intelligence, life health and information technology developed more quickly.

The district government work report pointed out that strong industries lead to a strong economy. As such, Luohu will assume a more active role in joining Shenzhen's scientific and technological innovation market, and promote the development of emerging industries such as software and information services, digital creativity, health and fashion.

According to the report, over the next five years, Luohu will boost the development of industrial clusters for software and information services, intelligent terminals, digital creativity, fashion, new materials, health and safety, energy conservation and environmental protection. Moreover, Luohu will develop an AI industrial cluster in Qingshuihe, a life and health industrial cluster in Buxin and a 5G industrial cluster in Liantang, as well as more than 10 emerging industrial parks in the Dawutong emerging industrial belt. Lastly, the district will simultaneously expedite the construction of innovation platforms and start-up incubators.