Healthcare workers at government hospitals face an overwhelming workload every morning due to the large number of patients. Currently, robots known as Dinsaw Intelligent OPDs assist staff in screening patients at three hospitals -- Chulalongkorn, Siriraj and Phramongkutklao.
Patients are required to insert their national ID card into the Dinsaw Intelligent OPD. The robot reads their information, verifies their insurance or healthcare coverage, and checks whether they have a doctor's appointment. The robots then ask patients about their symptoms and measure their blood pressure, height and weight. Based on this information, the robots direct patients to the appropriate department.
Although CT Asia Robotics, a pioneer in robotic development, successfully launched restaurant service robots in 2010, the Dinsaw Intelligent OPD was created due to the visionary leadership of Chalermpon Punnotok, chief executive of CT Asia Robotics. Chalermpon wanted to develop robots capable of providing medical services.
A patient uses services provided by the Dinsaw Intelligent OPD.
He explained: "Our restaurant robots were even purchased by a Swedish client, but I believed that this type of robot had limited potential. Additionally, I predicted that increasing competition from Chinese manufacturers would pose a significant threat to our market share -- and it did.
"As a result, I devised a strategic plan to pivot the business towards the medical field, as these robots are more challenging to replicate. To build connections with healthcare professionals, I participated in a certificate course in Good Governance for Medical Executives, organised by King Prajadhipok's Institute and the Medical Council of Thailand. The programme included a diverse range of participants, not only healthcare workers but also professionals from other sectors.
"To develop robots for the medical field, I had to consult with doctors, scientists and engineers. At hospitals, the Dinsaw Intelligent OPD interacts with patients to learn their symptoms and directs them to the relevant departments based on the information provided. Currently, these robots do not offer diagnoses."
Before the first Dinsaw robot was launched in 2009, few believed Thailand could develop internationally accepted machines. Chalermpon realised that to gain trust, Thai robots had to be sold in Japan, a global leader in technology. It seemed like an impossible mission, but Chalermpon achieved it through innovative strategies.
Dinsaw Mini.
"Everyone knew the Japanese wouldn't be easily persuaded to buy Thai robots. Before launching the Dinsaw Elderly Care Robot, our company studied the needs of Japanese nursing home residents, rather than making assumptions," Chalermpon said.
"I developed two strategies -- associating our robot with a Western country like Germany or earning the trust of Japanese doctors. Claiming our robot was German-made would have required hiring German engineers, which I didn't want to do as we are a Thai company. Therefore, I focused on earning the trust of Japanese doctors. I eventually met Dr Narong Nimsakul, a Thai surgeon in Japan, who introduced me to his student overseeing a nursing home in Nagano. This allowed us to observe how Japanese residents interacted with the Dinsaw Elderly Care Robot."
Initially, the Dinsaw Elderly Care Robot was designed in a larger size, considering the elderly might struggle with small screens. However, given space concerns, the robot was resized and modified based on feedback from elderly users. Today, these robots are used in nursing homes in Tokyo, Nagano and Nagoya.
"Unlike elderly individuals in Thailand, those in Japan are less interested in religious content, such as praying or listening to sermons. Instead, they prefer entertainment programmes and old songs provided by the Dinsaw Mini AI. We also discovered they wanted to chat with the robots, though this functionality is not yet available. We may consider adding it in the future," Chalermpon said.
Beyond nursing homes, the Dinsaw Mini AI supports elderly individuals living alone. These robots act as companions, reminding users to take medication, measuring their blood pressure, and entertaining them with music and games to stimulate their minds. The robots can also monitor unusual behaviour, such as the elderly failing to appear in their usual locations, and report this to relatives or caregivers.
A Dinsaw Intelligent OPD.
The Dinsaw Mini AI can also receive video calls from relatives or caregivers at any time, allowing them to monitor the elderly. Elderly individuals can call for help in three ways -- pressing wireless buttons placed around the house; tapping the robot's touchscreen; or using voice commands.
Chalermpon and his team have developed numerous other AI and robotic innovations for medical purposes. Among these is a robot with an AI-powered "nose" that can detect cancer through a simple, quick and non-invasive breath test. Patients provide a breath sample in a collection bag, which is then analysed for screening.
Chalermpon explained: "We are collecting breath samples from patients at seven cancer hospitals across Thailand to train an AI model to recognise patterns associated with cancer. Currently, the model is most accurate for breast cancer, with a 90% accuracy rate due to the extensive data available.
"The model also shows high accuracy for colorectal, liver and lung cancer. Before the AI nose device can be implemented, it must receive FDA approval. Once approved, we plan to study whether it can detect pre-stage one cancer."
Chalermpon's ultimate goal is to make Dinsaw Robots integral to healthcare in rural areas. "In rural healthcare centres without doctors, the Dinsaw Robot can assist through telemedicine. For complex cases, it can send reports to district or provincial hospitals. We have tested these mini robots in Chiang Mai, Kalasin and Narathiwat for five years, and they may soon be officially implemented."
Chalermpon continues to innovate, aiming to make Dinsaw Robots a major export for Thailand. "I hope Dinsaw Robots will grow into a significant industry, much like rice. Thailand remains a middle-income country because we lack entrepreneurs capable of building large-scale industries. I want other countries to buy our robots, just as we purchase iPhones or Samsung products from them."
