Keimyung University Dongsan Hospital said it has introduced autonomous mobile robots for the first time in Korea and begun to make a trial use of them this month.

The hospital will run three robots for different purposes — injection delivery, laundry delivery, and patient guidance. 

Specifically, these robots deliver injection materials such as opioid doses and anticancer medicines, gather and send laundries, and guide patients who wander around in the hospital. The robots are equipped with a designated finger vein identification system, increasing security and safety. 

The hospital introduced the robots as part of the “Project to support the development of leading models for a smart hospital,” pushed by the Ministry of Health and Welfare. It held the demonstration event on Feb. 26, showing how to use biometric data, such as vein authentication, and mapping for autonomous driving. 

The robots' use is expected to affect patients positively while increasing work efficiency and convenience, the hospital said.

For example, the delivery robot will make the hospital free from concerns about the loss or theft of drugs. The laundry robot sends the clothes to the designated spot, minimizing human contacts preventing possible infections and pollution.

“The smart hospital we aim to become is not just relying on robots or automation. It is providing emotional support for humans,” said Cho Chi-heum, president of Keymyung University Dongsan Hospital. “We will do our best to complete an automated system for infection control now that our new challenge for building a smart-medical environment has won the official recognition,”