This article comes from cnBeta

There are still many people in the world who need to be vaccinated, and the work intensity of daily vaccination is still very high for doctors. Recently, a new robot promises to simplify the vaccination process, enabling autonomous, needle-free vaccination. The robot, called Cobi, was developed by Canadian startup Cobionix, a spin-off from the University of Waterloo. Cobi is said to be the first robot to successfully deliver intramuscular injections without the use of a hypodermic needle.

The idea is that after pre-registering for a vaccination online, the patient will show up at a clinic or other location where the Cobi robot is used and then show a proof of identity to a camera on the device’s touchscreen interface. When they arrive, multiple 3D depth sensors detect their presence.

Once their identities are verified, the Cobi robotic arm retrieves a vial of vaccine from a built-in storage area. The robotic arm’s LiDAR sensors are then used to create a three-dimensional digital map of the patient’s body, which is analyzed by AI-based software to determine the best injection site. Using third-party needle-free technology, the vaccine itself is then injected in the form of a high-pressure liquid jet through an orifice widened by a person. The company was unable to provide further details at this time.

Tim Lasswell, co-founder of Cobionix, told us that it took about two years for Cobi to enter the medical market. Once the time is right, the hope is that the robot could allow more people to be vaccinated at once, while also reducing healthcare costs – plus it could be used in remote areas where trained clinicians are scarce.