Robot put drugs in the hospital

A hospital in the United States uses robots to transport drugs, medical supplies and commodities to minimize errors and operating costs.

A robot named TUG in Aethon Hospital, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA. (Photo: Discovery)

The hospital is where medical devices must be placed in the right place and at the right time to cure patients. With hundreds of doctors, nurses and hospital attendants, errors are unavoidable.

People make mistakes, but robots do not. They also do not need wages and food. That thought prompted many hospitals to use robots to transport cargo inside buildings.

Discovery says Aethon, a hospital in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, is one such hospital. They hired engineers to create a robot capable of ' reading ' digital maps to navigate and move in the hospital. They are called TUG. Each robot is equipped with many tiny antennas to detect humans and obstacles. The antennas can emit ultrasonic, infrared and laser beams to detect objects around the robot.

At 25kg, the TUG is powered by two DC motors that can charge themselves when they are not in operation. When the amount of power in the battery reaches the maximum, TUG will operate continuously for 10 hours.

The ability to communicate with each other is increasingly enhanced and TUG is no exception. They can 'talk' together in the corridor to exchange information on the most effective route to the destination.