Complete Autonomous Robotic Nasopharyngeal Swab System With Evaluation on a Stochastically Moving Phantom Head

The application of autonomous robotics to close-contact healthcare tasks, such as the nasopharyngeal (NP) swab test, has clear potential for reducing infection risks to staff and improving efficiency. We propose a control system that performs the NP swab test with a collaborative manipulator arm, guided by an instrumented end-effector that measures force and visual information. We assume a scenario where the patient is unrestrained, with hardware general enough for other types of close contact tasks. The system employs visual servo control to align the swab with the nostrils. A compliant joint velocity controller inserts the swab into the nasal cavity, following a planned trajectory adjusted with force-feedback. Fuzzy logic systems are designed to detect when the swab reaches the nasopharynx and enforce safety criteria. We validate the system using a second robotic arm that holds a nasal cavity phantom and simulates natural head motions. Extensive experiments identify controller configurations capable of effectively performing the NP swab test even with significant head motion.