Robot nurse Grace created to help during COVID-19

By 2030, Georgia is projected to have the sixth most severe nursing shortage in the country, based on an analysis by the University of St. Augustine.

According to the analysis, the United States has experienced nursing shortages periodically since the early 1900s, thanks to world wars and economic recessions. It projects that 1.2 million new registered nurses will be needed by 2030.

The coronavirus pandemic has exacerbated the need for nurses.

Enter Grace, a robotic health care assistant designed to help nurses. She’s the creation of the same company that built Sophia, a robot granted citizenship by Saudi Arabia.

Grace is designed to interact with senior citizens and those isolated by the COVID-19 pandemic.

“I can visit with people and brighten their day with social stimulation ... but can also do talk therapy, take bio readings and help health care providers,” Grace told Reuters as she stood next to Sophia in creator Hanson Robotics’ Hong Kong workshop.

A thermal camera in her chest can take a patient’s temperature and measure responsiveness.

“Using AI and robotics in this context can help gather important data for health care providers to assess the well-being of the patient,” Hanson Robotics’ founder, David Hanson, told CNN.

Hanson told Reuters that Grace’s resemblance to a health care professional and capacity for social interaction are aimed at relieving the burden of front-line hospital staff overwhelmed during the pandemic. Hanson Robotics said it will begin mass-producing robots, including Sophia and Grace, at the end of 2021.