TUG: Hospital Courier Robot

Posted 6 Jul 2004 at 21:54 UTC by steve

Several readers have submitted today's CNN story on Aethon's TUG robots being used at the Magee-Women's Hospital in Pitssburgh, Pennsylvania. The autonomou robots are used to move linens, X-Ray film, food and other materials around the hospital. It's claimed that one robot can replace two or more human hospital workers, paying for themselves in cost savings within three years. The TUG robot is loaded with CAD drawings of the hospital where it will operate and uses dead-reckoning to navigate. IR proximity sensors tracking distances to the nearest wall help adjust for errors. A wifi connection allows the robot operate hospital elevators. It can haul up to 500 lbs. There's also a Slashdot discussion on this one.