WORCESTER, Mass. — Researchers in robotics will meet with health care and aid workers around the country Friday to get ideas on how technology could help fight the deadly Ebola outbreak, as well as the spread of other dangerous viruses.

“When someone says robots, I’m old enough that this is what I see,” said Catherine Brown, a veterinarian with the Massachusetts Bureau of Infectious Disease, looking at an image of R2-D2 and C-3PO from Star Wars during a session this morning at Worcester Polytechnic Institute. “I know this is not what robotics is really like, but I’m not sure what that is… You’re always chasing the last outbreak. That’s really unfair and it’s a huge, huge problem for the countries involved. We’re going to be talking about opportunities for the robotics community to engage with the public health and the medical community.”

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