Hospital Management

Daily Newsletter

10 August 2023

Daily Newsletter

Chang Industrial, an engineering company specialising in transformative technology and autonomous systems, has joined forces with collaborative mobile robots maker Mobile Industrial Robots (MiR).

The partnership is intended to support patient care, nursing staff tasks, and supplies management through automation.

Chang Industrial vice president of operations and strategic partnerships Chris Callura said: “Joining forces with MiR and their impressive mobile robotics technology portfolio has already started to create new and exciting opportunities for our team.

“The feedback from the industry and our customers has overwhelmingly validated what we knew to be a great fit.”

According to the press statement, this collaboration brings together Chang Industrial's engineering expertise and supply chain partners with MiR's autonomous mobile robots (AMRs).

MiR's AMR technology can automate material transport in hospital environments, easing the burden on medical staff and enhancing operational efficiency.

Furthermore, the tie-up claims to address challenges such as nursing shortages and overworked medical staff.

MiR area sales manager Karl Bentz said: “Chang Industrial brings a wealth of experience and expertise into a fresh market area, which will contribute significantly towards our growth and innovation.

“As a result of this new partnership, we'll be better able to help our joint customers in the healthcare industry quickly, easily, and cost-effectively automate internal logistics.”

Healthcare companies are hesitant to invest in the metaverse

The COVID-19 pandemic pushed the healthcare industry to rapid digitalization. Increased use of telehealth, telepresence systems, remote diagnostics, predictive AI, and wearable technology is changing how healthcare is delivered and improving patient outcomes. Emerging technologies such as AR and VR are becoming increasingly routine for professional training, surgical assistance, and treatment of psychological and neurological disorders. In the pharma and medical devices industries, AR, VR, and AI are rapidly accelerating drug discovery and manufacturing and generating supply chain efficiencies. New digital opportunities will look to build upon disruptive technologies. However, affordability is a limiting factor to widespread adoption. Per GlobalData estimates, the metaverse market is expected to grow at a CAGR of more than 33% between 2023 and 2030. Although metaverse technologies could reinvent healthcare approaches and bring new experiences to healthcare providers and patients, adoption is still at an early stage. There are currently few use cases in the healthcare industry. The metaverse needs to overcome major challenges for healthcare, including regulation and data privacy concerns. Evidence of proven use cases and participation by a critical mass of users are imperative to drive a shift in metaverse investment.