Florida Hospital Celebration Health (see more articles like this)

They are called TUGs, and Florida Hospital Celebration Health is the first hospital in the area to use this automated robotic courier system designed by Aethon.

“TUG is the latest tool Florida Hospital Celebration Health has employed to ensure our clinical caregivers are spending their valuable time taking care of patients.  TUGs eliminate repetitive tasks like pushing carts and running errands and ensure that materials are close at hand when needed,” said Mike Thompson, Florida Hospital Celebration Health assistant administrator.

The robots, which are slightly larger than the base of a household vacuum cleaner, are designed to work in conjunction with a wide variety of hospital carts.  They can improve employee efficiency by taking over the laborious tasks of pushing carts to pick-up and deliver supplies, linens, and meals.  TUGs automate and track the delivery of goods, quietly pulling the carts to programmed destinations throughout the hospital.  At Florida Hospital Celebration Health, they are being used to transport supplies and linens from Central Supply to the OB unit and Emergency Department.   

When a TUG is needed, it is dispatched by an easy-to-use graphical interface from either a touch screen or hospital PC.  During deliveries the screen displays a map of the TUG’s location.  A series of sensors or “light whiskers” detect obstacles (such as beds, doors, water fountains, and people) in TUG’s path and keep it a set distance from the corridor walls.  When a TUG senses an object, it simply navigates around it. When it’s finished making a delivery, TUG returns to its’ docking station and automatically recharges.

About Florida Hospital Celebration Health
Florida Hospital Celebration Health is a cutting-edge health and wellness center and full-service hospital providing inpatient and outpatient services, 24-hour emergency care, maternity, cardiac services, diagnostic, and catheterization, wellness programs, women's and men's health programs, as well as primary care and specialty physicians on-site. This continuously innovative, thoughtfully designed, comprehensive facility contains 518,000 -square feet of programs and services that serve as a model for future facilities across the country and around the globe. It is part of the Florida Hospital system of seven Central Florida campuses and 16 Centra Care walk-in medical centers.  Florida Hospital is one of the largest hospital systems in the country, caring for almost 1 million patients every year. In fact, Florida Hospital treats more inpatients than any other hospital system in the country.   In addition to serving Central Florida residents, Florida Hospital is a global destination location and serves as a major tertiary referral hospital throughout the Southeastern United States, the Caribbean and South America. For the last eight years, Florida Hospital has been recognized as one the best hospitals in the country by U.S. News & World Report.

About TUG
The TUG is an affordable, automated courier system for the delivery and tracking of hospital goods and supplies.  This autonomous mobile robot (AMR) saves thousands of dollars, is simple to install and can be applied across a variety of applications.  Like a tugboat, Aethon’s TUG is a compact, powerful mover that gets the job done.  It quickly and easily delivers what is needed, when it is needed

About Aethon
Based in Pittsburgh, Aethon is a leader in providing practical, dependable and affordable robotics for hospitals. Aethon’s first commercialized product, TUG is an automated courier system for the delivery and tracking of hospital goods and supplies. TUG saves hospitals thousands of dollars, is simple to install and can be applied across a variety of applications. For more information visit www.aethon.com.