BulSU’s ROVIDOC to aid in treating COVID-19 patients in Bulacan

CITY OF MALOLOS – Medical workers expect the Robot Roving Doctor or ROVIDOC that was invented by the Information Technology of Bulacan State University (BulSU) – San Jose Del Monte Campus to be their partner in treating COVID-19 patients at the centralized quarantine facility of Bulacan Medical Center.

In two weeks’ time, the robot will be tested and put to good use wherein it has the capacity to directly give care to the patients without the need for the doctors and nurses to go near them.

Moreover, it can give medication on the right time and day and monitor the patients’ conditions through the attached ROVIDOC Apps.

Based on the design presented to Gov. Daniel R. Fernando by Professor Jayson M. Victoriano, director of Institute for Innovation in Business and Emerging Technologies of BulSU-San Jose Del Monte, the robot is standing on a platform with a ‘caterpillar’ wheels so that it will be stable and have a smooth motion.

An aluminum post with a utility tray is also placed on top wherein it holds medicines or anything needed to bring to the patients. A programmed tablet will also be attached to the robot to determine the schedule of medicine intake of the patients as well as other medical services needed.

On top of this, a thermal scanner which will regularly take the body temperature of the patients is attached and the main camera will serve as the eye of the doctors and nurses from the control area to make sure that the ROVIDOC is doing the right thing to the patients.

It has ‘servo arms’ to be able to move or adjust the thermal scanner and the main camera depending on the position of the patients’ body. ROVIDOC also has a liquid tank and a feature to do nozzle spray while going to and from the patients.

In line with this, Gov. Daniel R. Fernando gave P160,000 to the inventors of the robot, a project under the Institute for Innovation in Business and Emerging Technologies of BulSU External Campuses-SJDM where the unit cost is P150,000.

Fernando said, “malaking bagay po itong naimbento ninyong makinarya lalo pa’t makakaiwas sa sobrang exposure ang ating frontliners dahil dito. Ito po ang ating tugon sa panawagan ng Department of Science and Technology na maglabas ng kapaki-pakinabang na research and development ang mga state universities and colleges upang makatulong sa pagsugpo sa COVID-19.”

He also recognized Dr. Reynaldo S. Naguit, chancellor of BulSU External Campuses, for founding the Institute for Innovation in Business and Emerging Technologies of BulSU and for having ROVIDOC as their pilot project.