Cubans tap Chinese tech to build robot

Cuban experts have taken apart a Chinese electric scooter to build a prototype robot that helps out at a COVID-19 quarantine center on the outskirts of the country's capital.

Palmiche Galeno Plus, the autonomous robot, is named after a popular Cuban cartoon character and was developed by a team of professors and students at Technological University of Havana Jose Antonio Echeverria, or CUJAE.

Juan Antonio Pinera, a researcher at the university, said the quality and availability of Chinese technology in Cuba made it possible to innovate such creations.

Palmiche is programed to carry out daily tasks, including delivering meals, medicine and medical supplies to resident patients and healthcare workers, while promoting safe social distancing.

"Chinese imported scooter engines, batteries, and wheels improve the mechanical performance of the prototype robot, making it more powerful," said Pinera.

Palmiche, which can move at up to 60 kilometers per hour and carry up to 500 kilograms, is also able to cope with local environmental conditions and changes in weather.

The robot has transformed the daily routine at a student housing-turned-isolation ward of the university, where nearly 3,000 suspected cases have received medical attention during the pandemic.

Ariel Reyes, head of isolation centers in Havana's Marianao district, said the robot could be an affordable solution for hospitals, guaranteeing delivery without human contact and reducing people's chances of contracting infectious diseases. "This robot helps healthcare workers maintain physical distancing during the health emergency," Reyes said.