Robots circulate independently in the corridors of the Nantes university hospital center and the Cholet hospital center to deliver drugs or medical devices to the departments, thus freeing up time for caregivers. Presented by their logistics managers, on December 9 during Hospital Purchasing Days (Journées de l’achat hospitalier JAH) organized by the Network of Hospital Purchasers (Resah).
Tony Perlemoine, logistics project manager at Nantes University Hospital, and Eric Lemonnier, logistics manager at Cholet Hospital, reported on their experience with an autonomous mobile robot (autonomous mobile robot, AMR or autonomous intelligent vehicle, AIV) of the French company Meanwhile, which carries out transport between different services on a random and/or scheduled basis for small loads.
These two hospitals are the only ones in France to currently use AMRs with the Nancy University Hospital which has put one on the laboratory circuit, they said.
The AMR robot is composed of three parts including a mobile base, an application module (drawers, cabinets or closed) and a third part with the computer system (the « brain » to communicate with an elevator and to manage the robots between them – the priorities – if there are several). You can add options such as secure doors or a barcode reader, described Tony Perlemoine of Nantes University Hospital.
This indoor technology is aimed at all types of establishments and adapts to the different buildings of any structure.