POTS, PANS, TV MONITOR: COVID ROBOT BUILT IN INDONESIAN VILLAGE

Tue 07 September 2021:

A town in Indonesia has come up with a unique method to provide joy to COVID-19 patients as part of its fight against the pandemic.

During the pandemic, a homemade robot created by Indonesian villagers and scientists for fun has acquired a new purpose: carrying food, and maybe a smile, to self-isolating inhabitants infected with COVID-19.

It’s been named the “Delta Robot” after a highly contagious strain of the coronavirus that has ravaged Indonesia. It’s made up of an odd mix of domestic objects like pots, pans, and an old television monitor.

“With this new delta variant and the surging number of COVID-19 cases, I decided to turn the robot into one used for public services such as to spray disinfectant, deliver food and meet the needs of residents who are self-isolating,” Aseyanto, 53, a neighborhood leader who heads the project, said.

The robot’s head is built of a rice cooker, and it is controlled by a 12-hour battery-powered remote. It’s one of a number of robots created in Tembok Gede, a village known for its innovative use of technology. The message is broadcast after the speaker trundles down the street to the home of an isolating homeowner “”Assalam Alaikum” (Peace be with you), then “A delivery is on its way.” Get well as quickly as possible.”

The village lies within Surabaya, capital of the East Java province and Indonesia’s second-biggest city, where a devastating second wave of COVID-19 infections has swept in over in the past month.

“This Delta Robot is very simple. When we created this, we purely used materials in our neighborhood,” said Aseyanto, who goes by one name. It is a far cry from the robots deployed in hospitality and for care in Japan and elsewhere, some of which have been adapted to help tackle the pandemic.

Another team member, engineering lecturer Benazir Imam Arif Muttaqin. said, “For the base, we used a used toy car chassis.”

(Input with agency)

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