ABB is also part of the concept of sanitary robotics with its contribution of non-surgical robotic automation within hospitals.
The Texas Medical Center Innovation Center showcases a number of robotic applications in the healthcare field. By 2025, more than 60,000 non-surgical medical robots are expected to be in use in hospitals, according to internal ABB reports.
During a mobile YuMi demonstration, the center demonstrated a variety of robotic applications intended for laboratory settings, where different ABB cobots assisted researchers with tasks such as opening sample bags, sorting samples for preparation, and even transporting them.
The goal, as with other robotics applications in other industries, is for robots to perform many of the repetitive tasks. According to a report by ABB, robots can also work 24 hours a day. Repetitive tasks can be accomplished up to 50% faster with robotic automation.
YuMi’s mobile demonstration indicated that robots can multitask within the lab area, the YuMi mobile prototype robot was able to perform some pipetting tasks before moving to a different workstation and changing its end-of-arm tool.
According to ABB, the robot will be able to autonomously detect and maneuver around human co-workers, as well as learn various routes from one place to another. Drug preparation, centrifuge loading and unloading, liquid pipetting and handling, and test tube collection and sorting are all possible applications for the robot model.
The mobile robot can be used in hospitals to distribute medicine, deliver medical supplies to hospital staff.
Bill McKeon, President and CEO of Texas Medical Center commented, “We envisioned with ABB Robotics that we are going to reimagine the entire research campus and use robotics that really allow us to be more efficient, which means more time spent on the next generation of discoveries for advance health care. “
