---
title: "China Opened an Entire Hospital Staffed by Robots"
description: "To give massively overworked healthcare workers a much-needed break, China tried something new: by staffing an entire field hospital with robots."
date: "2020-03-20"
modified: "2020-03-20"
authors:
  - name: "Victor Tangermann"
    job_title: "Senior Editor"
    link: "https://futurism.com/authors/victor"
url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/china-opens-entire-hospital-staffed-robots"
categories:
  - "Robotics"
  - "Robots and Machines"
tags:
  - "china"
  - "coronavirus"
  - "covid-19"
  - "robots"
  - "the digest"
  - "virus"
---

# China Opened an Entire Hospital Staffed by Robots

![To give massively overworked healthcare workers a much-needed break, China tried something new: by staffing an entire field hospital with robots.](<https://futurism.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/china-opens-entire-hospital-staffed-robots.jpg>)
*\<em\>Image: CloudMinds\</em\>*

## Bleep Bloop

To give massively overworked healthcare workers a much-needed break, [*CNBC* reports](<https://www.cnbc.com/2020/03/18/how-china-is-using-robots-and-telemedicine-to-combat-the-coronavirus.html>), China tried something new: staffing an entire field hospital with robots.

The facility, dubbed the Smart Field Hospital, carried out basic screening tasks such as tracking temperature, heart rate and blood oxygen levels, taken care of by robots, courtesy of Beijing-based startup CloudMinds.

The goal: minimize the spread of infection since robots can be easily disinfected and cannot carry diseases, [according to the startup's founder](<https://www.cnet.com/news/coronavirus-care-at-one-hospital-got-taken-over-by-robots/>).

## Say Aaah

Patients wore smart bracelets to track their vitals. Other robots tended to patients by bringing them food and drink, as well as medicine. Some robots put on a little dance to keep patients entertained.

A team of researchers even [successfully demonstrated](<https://www.globaltimes.cn/content/1182175.shtml>) a robot that can swab patients' throats remotely, minimizing contact for healthcare workers at the hospital.

"Doctors have found the robots and smart devices helpful in monitoring patient vital signs remotely without direct contact," CloudMinds founder and CEO Bill Huang [told *CNBC*](<https://www.cnbc.com/2020/03/18/how-china-is-using-robots-and-telemedicine-to-combat-the-coronavirus.html>).

## Road to Recovery

The Smart Field Hospital is now on standby in case there's a resurgence of COVID-19 cases in the country, [according to *CNET*](<https://www.cnet.com/news/coronavirus-care-at-one-hospital-got-taken-over-by-robots/>). CloudMinds has deployed over 100 robots to Chinese hospitals, hotels and schools.

The news comes after China reported [zero new local COVID-19 cases](<https://futurism.com/neoscope/china-zero-cases-coronavirus>) on Thursday. While those figures should be taken with a healthy dose of salt, it's a promising sign that the country is starting its long way to recovery.

**READ MORE:** [What America can learn from China’s use of robots and telemedicine to combat the coronavirus](<https://www.cnbc.com/2020/03/18/how-china-is-using-robots-and-telemedicine-to-combat-the-coronavirus.html>) \[*CNBC*\]

**More on China:** *[China Reported Zero New Local Coronavirus Cases Yesterday](<https://futurism.com/neoscope/china-zero-cases-coronavirus>)*

## 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](<https://bsky.app/profile/vtanger.bsky.social>)