--- title: "China Is Using Robots to Administer COVID Tests" description: "Residents in Shenyang, China are being tested for COVID-19 by a plastic-wrapped robotic arm that is being remotely controlled from the next room." date: "2021-01-13" modified: "2021-01-13" authors: - name: "Victor Tangermann" job_title: "Senior Editor" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/victor" url: "https://futurism.com/neoscope/china-robots-covid-tests" categories: - "Health & Medicine" - "Prosthetics and Devices" - "Robotics" - "Robots and Machines" tags: - "china" - "coronavirus" - "covid19" - "robotic arm" --- # China Is Using Robots to Administer COVID Tests ![Residents in Shenyang, China are being tested for COVID-19 by a plastic-wrapped robotic arm that is being remotely controlled from the next room.]() *\Image: Euronews\* Residents in Shenyang, China are being tested for COVID-19 by a plastic-wrapped robotic arm, [*Euronews* reports](). The goal of the arm, which is being controlled by a health worker from the next room, is to minimize contact and reduce the risk of cross contamination between people. The disembodied arm is capable of taking a throat swab — a routine yet delicate medical procedure. The person being tested simply open their mouth and bites down on a contraption to make sure they remain motionless while the robot does its work. A robotic voice will even tell the person being tested to say "aaah." The robot, dubbed Lingcai, is part of a greater mass testing campaign to battle an ongoing outbreak in the surrounding Liaoning province, according to *Euronews*. Officials are hoping the robot will reduce the risk of cross-infection and even increase the rate of testing. According to [Chinese state-owned newspaper the *Global Times*](), the robot can even automatically register the subjects' information to both speed up the process and ensure sampling authenticity. ## Author I've been at Futurism since 2017, where my role has evolved to encompass design, writing, and increasingly editing. I've always been fascinated by space exploration and advanced transportation, which I've leaned into by interviewing luminaries in those fields while closely following the dimensions of policy and regulation that allow next-generation projects to succeed -- or, sometimes, to fail. I'm also keenly interested in the effects of generative AI on society, policies, and democratic institutions, as well as clean energy, physics and biology, and the vagaries of tech leadership. My work for Futurism has been cited by publications including Ars Technica, Gizmodo, PC Magazine, Jalopnik, Fox News, and the New York Post. I spent my childhood living in locations including Manila, the Philippines, and Geneva, Switzerland, attended McGill University, and now live in Toronto, Canada. Before Futurism I worked at AskMen and a small photography studio. In my free time, I'm an avid gardener, foodie, and craft beer lover, as well as a maker of artisanal hot pepper sauces. I have a magnificent dog named Freida. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()