Stanford University's hospital robots pick pills, take out laundry and trash

IoT and robotics may have spiked privacy and security concerns, but it is leading to many developments in the medical field. Stanford University has set up a hospital that will be based on these developments.

The hospital will be set up in the university's health care campus. The aim behind setting up a tech-based hospital is to make it as accessible or as connected as a smartphone. Temperature and other such metrics can be controlled in this facility from a pad-like instrument positioned near the patient's bed. An app called MyHealth will help patients contact a physician or guide as soon as they feel the need to do so.

One of the highlights of the hospital is that it will make use of robotics in its facilities. Robots will pick up pills, pack them and put them at dispensing stations, which will deliver them right to the patient. Along with the robots, automated vehicles will help deliver laundry and take out the trash. All the medical equipment will be monitored using sensors and will provide real-time information on inventory.

This level of automation will allow doctors to monitor multiple patients at once, from a single location. Alerts regarding emergency situations can be delivered directly to their phones in a timely manner. Most importantly, medical equipment like MRI scanners and other medical gear will be integrated with each other and provide a tranche of data at once place, which will make decision-making quick and easy.

According to the Wall Street Journal, the hospital will be very upgrade-friendly since it is largely software-based. Overhauling costs are expected to be minimal. The systems are even prepared for a future upgrade to a 5G wireless standard.

While the facility will cost $2.1 billion to build and run, it is definitely a test-case for reformation and better running of the multi-billion dollar healthcare industry.