Boston University announced this week that it will be using “specialized robots” to test students for the Chinese virus upon their return to campus this fall. The university also announced that it will utilize contact tracing to mitigate the spread of the virus on campus.
According to a report by Campus Reform, Boston University will use robots as part of its “multipronged” response to the Chinese virus pandemic. The robots will reportedly be used to expedite the testing process.
A report from Boston University Today revealed that engineering faculty have been developing a robotics program that will aid in the university’s mitigation efforts. The program, which is still in development, will allow students to be notified electronically if they test positive for the virus.
The samples would be tested for the coronavirus at a lab inside the Rajen Kilachand Center for Integrated Life Sciences & Engineering. Newly purchased specialized robots would be used to help speed up the test result process, and results of the tests would be delivered to people electronically. Leading the testing program will be Catherine Klapperich, a College of Engineering professor of biomedical engineering and director of the BU Precision Diagnostics Center. Once it’s running, the laboratory will be run and overseen by certified clinical lab professionals and will work closely with the offices of Student Health and Occupational Health.
Breitbart News reported in April that Boston University officials were considering extending the campus shutdown through the end of the calendar year. However, these recent developments suggest otherwise.
Boston University President Robert A. Brown suggested that the fall semester may involve a hybrid approach with both online and in-person courses.
“We are starting to see a vision of fall emerge,” Brown said in a statement. “The goal is to take advantage of the best public health and safety tools at our disposal in order to allow our students to get back to school. Our classroom instruction will be designed with flexibility in mind, offering both remote learning with in-person participation, so that every student, whatever their location or personal circumstance, will receive the academic support and instruction they deserve.”
Stay tuned to Breitbart News for more campus updates.