NCFU senior students developed an unusual prototype of robot, which can identify patients and offer them the administered drugs. In the future, such assistants will have expanded functions including even entertaining patients, which means medical officers will have to spend less time with patients, which is specifically important in view of the pandemic situation.

RoMA (Robotic medical assistant) is equipped with a mini camera, respective sensors and a special software module to be controlled remotely while moving from ward to ward. Besides, the robot has a special system for the patient's QR recognition to see what drugs are to be offered to them.

– This development has no match in Russia, while foreign samples are too expensive and are up to one assignment only, – Prof. Oksana Mezentseva (Project Coordinator) noted. – Our medical institutions cannot afford purchasing such robots, even though the need is high. And now, NCFU students are here with a solution. They have done a lot of work – from marketing research to software module and hardware development, and now we have a mobile assistant that is well able to manage all the responsibilities.

The work is still going on as the students are now trying to improve the structure and enhance the functional capacity in order to make it completely independent, which will involve AI to be used along with biometrics. Another development to be tried next is a waiter-assistant, which has already stirred interest among respective business people.