The robots were donated by the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) to the Kanyinya treatment center that treats Covid-19 patients in the capital city, Kigali.

The robots — named Akazuba, Ikirezi, Mwiza, Ngabo, and Urumuri — were received by the country’s Minister of Health and Minister of ICT and Innovation last week.

According to Dr. Daniel Ngamije, Rwanda’s minister of health, they also have the capacity to capture sound and visual data of patients and can notify health workers on detected abnormalities.

The robots have the capacity to deliver medicine, food, and other essentials in place of frontline workers to Covid-19 patients undergoing treatment, Ngamije said.

The robot in a hospital in Seattle was employed to check the man’s vitals, limiting contact with health workers.