UNDP and Government of Rwanda Deploy Smart Anti- Epidemic Robots to Fight Against COVID-19

In May 2020, the Rwandan Ministry of Health acquired and deployed five smart anti-epidemic robots to contain the spread of COVID-19, with the support of UNDP Rwanda. They were immediately deployed to two treatment centers, and at the Kigali International Airport.

The robots will support detection of COVID-19 cases including among returning citizens, test patients, and provide other services in the hospitals. Designed with various advanced features, the robots will support doctors and nurses at the designated treatment centers and, in the future, at boarder points and other screening sites in Kigali and other provinces.

Among other capabilities, the robots have the capacity to screen between 50 to 150 people per minute, deliver food and medication to patient rooms, capture data, and notify officers on duty about detected abnormalities for timely response and case management. Such features are expected to increase timeliness and efficiency in the fight against COVID-19 and reduce exposure of health workers to possible Covid-19 infection.

This initiative, a first of its kind for UNDP, is a risk mitigation measure to support the national COVID-19 response efforts. Experience has shown that a few countries, notably in Asia, have used similar technologies to help flatten the Covid-19 curve.

The robots were acquired through the partnership between the UNDP Rwanda Accelerator Lab (AccLab) and the Ministry of ICT and Innovation. Established in 2019 by UNDP Rwanda, AccLab is a small team of national experts with unique skills – to work inside the country office and help search for and support development innovations and solutions.

According to the UNDP Resident Representative to Rwanda, Mr. Stephen Rodriques, COVID-19 presents a huge, complex challenge that requires us to think differently, search for new solutions, and use every available resource (financial & human) to stop its spread.