Minister of Research And Technology/Head of BRIN Prof. Bambang Permadi Soemantri Brodjonegoro SE MUP PhD at RAISA Webinar

ITS Campus, ITS News-Robot medical Assistant ITS-Airlangga (RAISA) is the answer to Institut Teknologi Sepuluh Nopember (ITS) and Airlangga University Hospital (RSUA) for the challenge of creating innovations to handle Covid-19 pandemic. To socialize RAISA in the wider community, with the support of the Ministry of Research and Technology/National Research and Innovation Agency (Kemenristek/BRIN), ITS and RSUA held a Webinar with the title How to Protect medical workers from the risk of transmission Covid-19 with Robot, Thursday (14/5).

Menristek and head of BRIN Prof. Bambang Permadi Soemantri Brodjonegoro SE MUP Ph.D. who presented as a speaker. In this webinar, Menristek said that Indonesia needs to move and start to fix health facilities that almost 90 percent are still imported now. In this pandemic condition, it is very risky to remain dependent on medical devices abroad. “It is not enough to be able to buy, but also need the production of domestic medical devices,” he explained.

Bambang greatly appreciates and supports the presence of RAISA in the health sector. In the future, there is a need to ensure the availability of basic material supply of medical research is maintained, so there are no more obstacles in its development. “RAISA in the Kemenristek’s Consortium of Research and innovation handling Covid-19 is one of the products that will be expected can be produced in the future,” he said.

According to Bambang, it needs more cooperation between the fields as it is done by ITS and RSUA. Both have incorporated technological disciplines with health that make brilliant innovation. “Not just interinstitutional cooperation, but this is a cooperation between fields,” he reminded.

ITS rector, Prof Dr. Ir Mochamad Ashari MEng when delivering RAISA development in the Webinar

Responding to the Minister’s statement, ITS rector Prof Dr. Ir Mochamad Ashari MEng stated that ITS is ready to continue working with RSUA to produce various health innovations. Until now, RAISA is still being developed. So that the function is not only as a service robot, but it can be a medical device that allows conducting inspections on the patient. “Now launched the latest generation of RAISA devoted to ICU and HCU with a variety of new features,” said Ashari.

Then, continue Ashari, to fulfill the needs of RAISA, ITS per month through PT ITS Tekno Sains able to make 20 units of RAISA. “We will not make the complicated process of administering to order RAISA,” said Ashari.

Agree with Ashari, director of RSUA Prof Dr. Nasronudin Dr. SpPD K PTI FINASIM revealed, existing technology, especially RAISA, this is very helpful for a medical worker to keep feeling safe in working without the need to fear contracting Covid-19. “Given that the absence of vaccines for the treatment, the presence of a robot becomes one of the preventive solutions to the spread of Covid-19,” said the Doctor who is often called Nasron.

According to Nasron, the security aspect of medical workers in this hospital is very noteworthy. Patient safety is the primary focus of hospital policies. Therefore, the presence of RAISA can reduce the interaction of both so that it can lower the risk of contracting and spreading Covid-19. “Also, the presence of robots can also make the patient able to rest more,” he explained.

Director of RSUA Prof Dr. Nasronudin Dr. SpPD K PTI FINASIM at RAISA Webinar

To keep RAISA stay sterile and free Covid-19, periodically RSUA also sterilizes it. There are two kinds of the sterilization process. First, it uses Ultra Violet Robot ITS – Airlangga (Violeta) which can sterilize using ultraviolet rays. The second sterilization is a special room, where the room becomes a sterilization place after the isolation chamber and before going to other places.

Responding to the hospital’s readiness to the large number of patients caused by Covid-19, the Chairman of the Indonesian Hospital Association (PERSI) Dr. Heron Joro Adi Purjanto MKes reminds each hospital not only to focus on the handling of natural disasters but also for non-natural disasters. “The use of robots helps to create readiness,” he said.

According to Kuntjoro, during the 4.0 industrial revolution, the application of technology in the field of health is three, namely genomic, digital medicine, as well as Artificial Intelligent (AI) and robotics. “These AI and robotics have been realized by the cooperation of ITS and RSUA, both of which have created innovations that are useful for this nation,” he said.

Chairman of PERSI Dr. Kuntjoro Adi Purjanto MKes at RAISA Webinar

Meanwhile, the dean of the Faculty of Intelligent Electrical And Informatics Technology ITS, Dr. I Ketut Eddy Purnama ST MT said, he hopes after this webinar is the wider community can be more familiar with RAISA. In the future, RAISA is expected to have a target to be used by various hospitals in Indonesia, which is a reference to the handling of Covid-19. “This RAISA was created not based on desire, but rather a necessity,” he concluded. (ai/rev/ITS Public Relations)