Credit: Worcester Polytechnic Institute

Could robots really aid in the Ebola fight?

On November 7th, robotics researchers from around the country will come together to try to answer that question. They will see if robots can prevent the spread of Ebola by possibly decontaminating infected equipment and or even burying victims.

Robin Murphy, a professor of computer science and engineering at Texas A&M University and former CCC council member, is helping to set up this Safety Robotics for Ebola Workers workshop. The workshop will bring together health care workers, relief workers and roboticists. It is co-hosted by the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy, Texas A&M, Worcester Polytechnic Institute and the University of California, Berkeley.

The goal of the workshop is for the roboticists to hear directly from those who have been working on the outbreak. That way they can learn what is needed to help patients, prevent the spread of the virus, and protect aid workers from infection.

Click here to learn more and see the Computerworld article.