The nasopharyngeal (NP) swab sample test, commonly used to detect COVID-19 and other respiratory illnesses, involves moving a swab through the nasal cavity to collect samples from the nasopharynx. While typically this is done by human healthcare workers, there is a significant societal interest to enable robots to do this test to reduce exposure to patients and to free up human resources. The task is challenging from the robotics perspective because of the dexterity and safety requirements. While other works have implemented specific hardware solutions, our research differentiates itself by using a ubiquitous rigid robotic arm. This work presents a case study where we investigate the strengths and challenges using compliant control system to accomplish NP swab tests with such a robotic configuration. To accomplish this, we designed a force sensing end-effector that integrates with the proposed torque controlled compliant control loop. We then conducted experiments where the robot inserted NP swabs into a 3D printed nasal cavity phantom. Ultimately, we found that the compliant control system outperformed a basic position controller and shows promise for human use. However, further efforts are needed to ensure the initial alignment with the nostril and to address head motion.

翻译：鼻咽拭子样本检测常用于诊断COVID-19及其他呼吸道疾病，其操作需将拭子经鼻腔移动至鼻咽部采集样本。虽然该检测通常由医护人员完成，但社会对机器人执行此类检测存在显著需求，以降低医患接触风险并释放人力资源。从机器人技术视角看，该任务因灵巧性与安全性要求而极具挑战性。现有研究多采用专用硬件解决方案，而本工作的创新点在于使用普适性刚性机械臂。本研究通过案例探讨了采用柔顺控制系统配合此类机器人配置完成鼻咽拭子检测的优势与挑战。为此，我们设计了集成于扭矩控制柔顺控制回路中的力传感末端执行器，并在3D打印鼻腔模型上进行了机器人插入鼻咽拭子的实验。最终发现，柔顺控制系统性能优于基础位置控制器，并展现出应用于人体的潜力，但仍需进一步解决与鼻孔的初始对准及头部运动补偿问题。