8/25/2021 Veronica Severini
Written by Veronica Severini
This past week the Illinois state government held the Illinois State Fair, an event that brings thousands of people from all over the state to Springfield every year for rides, food, music, games, and more. Illinois's Department of Innovation and Technology brought a new spin to the fair with the Illinois Tech Prairie STEAM Expo, a collection of science, technology, engineering, arts, and mathematics organizations that showcased their programs and research during the second half of the week. The Health Care Engineering Systems Center participated with a table featuring some of our virtual reality technology, simulators, and robots.
Staff showcased the UVBot and the Telepresence Robot, both developed over the past two years to mitigate effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. The UVBot is a low-cost robot that can be programmed to clean spaces such as schools, offices, and public transportation to inactivate COVID-19 using UV light. It promises 99% virus inactivation and can be controlled over Wi-Fi or Bluetooth to prevent human UV exposure. HCESC simulation engineer Harris Nisar was heavily involved in the development of this project, as were multiple interns throughout 2020. It's made from a Roomba robot, UV lamp, and many 3D-printed parts. A provisional patent has been filed, and multiple organizations are using the open-source technology to create their own robots. Learn more about the UVBot here.
The Telepresence Robot builds upon the increase in telemedicine visits the world saw during the initial outbreak of COVID-19. HCESC research scientist Inki Kim submitted the proposal for the robot to Jump ARCHES, with the goal of establishing, justifying, and optimizing a set of use-cases for robot use in telemedicine. He was awarded a grant, and with his team developed a robot that could conduct telemedicine visits in order to reduce the risk of in-hospital transmission of COVID-19 and continue to provide quality care post-COVID.
In this photo, patrons interact with the Telepresence Robot.
"It was amazing to demo our work to the kids at the state fiar. We were able to expose kids to STEAM, and showcase some of our projects that have huge potential in healthcare," said simulation engineer Lydia Lee. "We were also able to demonstrate what meaningful technology looks like through our medical simulators, UVBot, and the Telepresence Robot."
While this was only the first year of the Illinois Tech Prairie STEAM Expo, the organizing committee behind the state fair considers it a success. Our staff certainly found it valuable in teaching kids the value and possibilities of STEAM, and we're excited to represent the Health Care Engineering Systems Center again next year!