With nurses being the heart of patient care, there is a lot of pressure on them to be available to their patients while also keeping up with mouting tasks.
According to Diligent Robotics, a female-led robotics startup based in Austin, clinical staff spend an average of 30% of their time on non-care activities like gathering medical supplies or restocking supply rooms. Staff clock up to 8 to 10 miles a day running back and forth to supply rooms, further diverting them from direct patient care.
To address these overburdened work environments for nurses, Diligent Robotics has developed Moxi, their socially intelligent robot that supports clinical staff to make more time for patient care. With an extra hand from Moxi, who autonomously completes those manual tasks end-to-end without assistance, nurses focus on what they want to do, what they are trained to do, and what they, as caring human beings, are best at: direct patient care.
Moxi has nodes of expression which include its indicative movements by its LED eyes and head allowing it to clearly and purposefully communicate what its doing so people feel comfortable. Its autonomous AI mapping and mobile base allow it to quickly and efficiently execute end-to-end tasks without assistance while sensors help it intelligently navigate all spatial areas such as small hallways. Meeting all hospital standards for health safety and infection control, Moxi's flexible arm and precise gripper efficiently work in common hospital environments including those with high shelves and varying sized supplies.
Diligent Robotics offers a look at Moxi's first trials which begain in September at several hospitals including Texas Health Dallas, The University of Texas Medical Branch (UTMB Health), and Houston Methodist Hospital.