Smartphone-Controlled Robotic Arm for Remote Throat Swab Collection in Pandemic Healthcare Applications

الملخص

Pandemic healthcare circumstances have emphasized the importance of minimizing direct contact between healthcare personnel and potentially infected patients during diagnostic procedures such as throat swab collection. This paper presents the design and implementation of a low-cost smartphone-controlled robotic arm system for remote throat swab sampling using an Arduino-based embedded platform. The proposed system integrates servo motors, Bluetooth communication, a camera module, and a flexible robotic structure to enable controlled remote operation through a smartphone interface. The robotic platform was developed to reduce exposure risks to medical personnel while maintaining simple and user-friendly operation. Experimental testing demonstrated stable wireless control, acceptable robotic movement flexibility, and effective remote operation capability during simulated sampling procedures. The use of low-cost embedded hardware and wireless communication makes the system suitable for resource-limited healthcare environments and preliminary remote medical assistance applications. Although the current implementation depends mainly on manual control and lacks advanced sensing and autonomous positioning mechanisms, the proposed platform provides a feasible foundation for future remote healthcare robotic systems. Future improvements may include force-feedback control, intelligent image processing, automated positioning, and extended wireless communication technologies to enhance safety, precision, and operational reliability.