COPENHAGEN, May 27 (AFP) — Danish researchers have developed a robot capable of carrying out COVID-19 screening tests, the University of Southern Denmark announced on Wednesday.

Using a 3D-printed disposable arm that is automatically swapped after every patient, the robot takes a throat swab and then places the sample in a jar, the research laboratory explained.

"Robotics researchers… have developed the world's first fully automatic robot capable of carrying out throat swabs for COVID-19, so that healthcare professionals are not exposed to the risk of infection," the university said in a statement.

The robot is currently in prototype form, but a model for use in the field is under construction, the project leader Thiusius Rajeeth Savarimuthu told AFP. 

"There are prospects in developing a throat swab robot so that robots can take over the throat swabbing work both in relation to COVID-19, but also in all future viruses," he said in the statement.

In April, Singapore researchers invented a disinfecting robot to help take the load off overworked cleaners during the pandemic.