A HOSPI medical assistant robot.
The drug delivery robots can deliver up to 20kg of goods, usually medicine, medical specimens and case files, across six configurable trays.
The 4.5ft autonomous bots weigh approximately 170kg with their lead-acid battery, which can last about nine hours, requiring four-and-a-half hours to charge.
HOSPI navigate through busy hospital halls at up to a configurable 1m/s, via pre-programmed map data. These can be easily customized as hospital renovations occur. To avoid bumping into patients, doctors and visitors, the robots distinguish their surroundings through visual sensors.
A nurse retrieves sensitive documents from the interior of a HOSPI robot.
Due to its sensitive cargo, HOSPI are equipped with security systems requiring operating staff to carry ID cards in order to access storage.
Is HOSPI going global?
The helpful drug delivery robots hit the market in 2013 and are now available to assist in select hospitals outside Japan.
Singapore’s Changi General Hospital (CGH) is the first foreign facility to utilize the HOSPI robot, receiving four units in February, 2015.
“HOSPI can help us save manpower and time in a simple and practical way, especially with the challenges we are facing with an aging workforce whilst our healthcare facilities increases in size and distance,” said Selina Seah, CGH assistant CEO. “By harnessing autonomous technology like HOSPI, we can optimise our workforce and improve productivity. We welcome Panasonic as a CHART (Centre for Healthcare Assistive and Robotics Technology) partner to work with us to innovate healthcare operations and patient care.”
The CHART initiative was launched by the president of Singapore, Tony Tan Keng Yam earlier this year to bring automated technology into the countries rapidly aging medical workforce.
“Panasonic is excited to work together with CGH to phase in our HOSPI robots for full deployment so that eventually medical caregivers’ time is freed up for dedicated patient care and treatment,” notes Rubina Gan, assistant general manager of Panasonic System Solutions Asia Pacific (PSSAP). “CHART’s opening cements how technology and solutions can play a key role in healthcare in the future.”
But does this mean globally?
No doubt medical assistant robots like HOSPI would have a positive global impact, improving the healthcare systems of nations across the world. It wouldn’t be smart business practice to restrict the sales of their robot to countries within Asia.
If Panasonic agrees, than the only question is: When will the Western world see robots walking our hospital halls? Better yet, when will we see them in our homes?
For more information concerning HOSPI, visit Panasonic.com.