A strange courier joined the ranks of Médipôle in October: Madjo-24 is an autonomous mobile robot created by the Villeurbanne-based company Meanwhile.
The fruit of a local collaboration between Médipôle and the Villeurbanne-based company specializing in Meanwhile robotics, Madjo-24’s role is to transport drugs or sterilized equipment throughout the establishment.
Madjo-24 is 1.55 m high and 70 cm in diameter. Fitted with sensors and algorithms, it can calculate and adjust its trajectory live, avoiding obstacles and passers-by… It even takes the elevator by itself!
“The Madjo-24 robot starts from the pharmacy, in the basement, and serves the indicated care units, where only authorized nurses can open it to access medicines“, explains Christophe Gagneux, Deputy Director of Hôpital Mutualiste. “Once its rounds are completed, it returns to its base, the pharmacy“. In the corridors, Madjo-24 drives at between 3 and 4 km/h, with priority to the right (unless there is an obstacle or person to avoid), and honks at intersections to signal his presence. When it reaches its destination, it sends a call signal to the nurses authorized to open it.
Meanwhile has already installed 8 other robots of this type in healthcare establishments: “The first one has been installed at Nantes University Hospital since 2021,” explains Eva Borisov, engineer and project manager at the Villeurbanne-based company. “We work in close cooperation with the teams, who are trained beforehand in the use of the robot, and we remain attentive to any changes that may occur, in order to adapt the robot to their needs. Initial feedback has been very positive, because the robots help relieve caregivers of tasks that have no added value. “.
With nearly a hundred robots installed in France, Switzerland, Belgium, and soon in Italy, Meanwhile continues its international expansion and is structuring itself accordingly.
On the occasion of the 4th edition of Printemps de la Robotique, an online conference dedicated to heavy load transport in healthcare facilities was held.
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