A hospital has opened in Toronto, Canada, that is partly run by robots.
The 656-bed Humber River Hospital, which opened last week, uses the automated assistants as porters, pharmacists and nurses. They mix drugs, check doses, position patients during x-ray procedures and transport medical supplies.
They are, however, subject to a second opinion: medicines that they handle are checked by human staff before being administered.
Other technology has been added to improve the patient experience, such as touchscreen computers next to beds that allow patients and their visitors to make video calls to doctors, order meals, watch television and play games.
The robots will not replace human staff. The hospital is an established healthcare provider that has moved to new premises. It says it has hired 700 more employees than it did in its old building to run its 656 rooms, 80% of which are single-patient.
The facility also has a green roof to decrease energy consumption.
Images via Humber River Hospital’s Flickr page
