Japan eyes use of robots to boost COVID-19 testing as Olympics loom

FILE PHOTO: A medical worker performs a walk-in style polymerase chain reaction (PCR) training test for the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), at a makeshift facility in Yokosuka, south of Tokyo, Japan, April 23, 2020. REUTERS/Issei Kato

TOKYO (Reuters) - Japan's health minister watched a demonstration on Tuesday of a prototype automated COVID-19 testing machine that uses a robotic arm to take a sample from a person's nose and can deliver the results in about 80 minutes.

The robot system, built by Kawasaki Heavy Industries Inc, fits in a standard shipping container that can be transported by truck and set up at stadiums, theme parks and other mass gatherings, the company said.