An Indian educator has built a prototype for a robot in an attempt to curb the risk of healthcare workers being infected by COVID-19 patients.

Harjeet Nath, Assistant Professor at Tripura University in northeastern India, actualized the robot in a week’s time by May 17, with significant help from his wife, Sabita Nath, and spent USD 330 on the creation.

The robot named ‘COVID-19 WARBOT’ can substitute human mediation by carrying essential items like medicines, food and water to the patient and decrease the likelihood of virus spread.

The robot was prepared by May 15 and went through extensive testing for two days.

Harjeet has stated that the robot has a capacity of withstanding up to 33 pounds worth of essentials along an operating radius of 20 meters. A Wi-Fi controlled camera with an inbuilt microphone and speaker has been installed for communication between the patient and doctor.

The robot runs for over an hour on five hours' worth of charge.

Recipient of the Young Scientist Award by Department of Science and Technology, India, in 2018, Nath mentioned how he built the machine with available resources, not fetching fancy apparatus due to the lock-down phase India is in.

He also ascertained that this innovation is not for profit-making purposes, but to benefit those in dire need of protection from the deadly virus.

Apart from contributing part of his salary to the PM Cares Fund, he is inclined towards practical solutions to combat the virus.