This intense-looking humanoid robot is performing coronavirus tests in Egypt — here's how it works

Coronavirus testing robot in Egypt.Reuters

• An Egyptian mechanical engineer created a robot that can test patients for COVID-19.
• The robot is remote-controlled by a health professional, reducing the risk of transmission.
• Robots have been used in fighting the coronavirus around the world.

A robot that looks straight out of the uncanny valley is performing coronavirus tests in Egypt.

Twenty-six-year-old mechanical engineer Mahmoud El Komy created remote-controlled robot is being used in Cairo, Egypt to collect samples for testing.

Measures like this robot could reduce the risk of transmission for medical providers, who have to get very close to people who potentially have infectious diseases.

Robots have increasingly been put to use since COVID-19 spread around the world. A team of doctors and researchers in Korea recently developed a remote-controlled robot that can take nasal swabs for COVID-19 tests.

In Boston, Spot robots were used to screen patients remotely, using iPads so doctors could talk to and visually assess them. In India and other countries, robots have been tasked with screening patients using thermal temperature guns, picking out people with fevers as potential COVID-19 patients.