Nigerian Students Build Mobile Robot, Mairabot to Minimize the Risks Faced by Health Workers During the Pandemic

Nigerian Students Build Mobile Robot, Mairabot to Minimize the Risks Faced by Health Workers During the Pandemic

The innovative secondary school students of Glisten International Academy, Abuja recently built an impressive invention to minimize the risks faced by frontline health workers fighting the global pandemic. 

Together with their teacher, the students – Nabila Abubakar, Jamil Dawaki, Hamza Hamish and other robotics students of the school developed Mairabot to deliver drugs to COVID-19 patients in their respective wards, thereby reducing the risk of transmission between patients and health workers. 

The school nurse, Charity Ogbuduke disclosed that Mairabot has several compartments like shelves, which are loaded with well-labelled drugs for easy identification by patients. The robot is then sent around to patients while allowing doctors and nurses to remain safe and productive.

One of the students, Jamil Dawaki revealed that Mairabot is a unique robot that can be navigated through the wards with the Xbox gamepad controller and the VR headset. According to Jamil, the Xbox game controller and VR headset are connected to the camera on the head of the robot, which allows the operator to see where the robot is headed and direct it accordingly.

Also, Hamza Hamisu, one of the robotics students said that the team decided to give the robot an indigenous look by using Ankara fabrics. He also disclosed that the preferred shape of the robot aided easy navigation across the wards.

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Mairabot uses artificial intelligence to move. While approaching patients, the robot can read their temperature, deliver drugs and provide an interface for doctors to interact with them. 

Innovative measures have been put in place to monitor the development process of the robot, to ensure it meets international standards. The team hope to improve its performance to ensure it delivers its functions efficiently.

One of the students’ goals is for Mairabot to reach a global audience, to properly reduce the risks of frontline workers while maintaining the doctor-patient relationship during the pandemic.

The former Vice President of Nigeria, Atiku Abubakar recently commended the students for creating such an impressive invention at a crucial time when it cannot be overlooked. He further emphasized on the need for Nigeria to invest in youths more than ever.