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JU’s Chang Robotics Studio will demonstrate collaborative mobile robots for hospital use. Source: Chang Robotics
Last week, Chang Robotics and Jacksonville University said they are launching a “Robot Studio.” In the studio, researchers will program, test, and prepare cutting-edge robots designed for hospitals, according to the Jacksonville Beach, Fla.-based engineering firm.
Jacksonville University (JU) has opened about 4,000 sq. ft. (371.6 sq. m) on the third floor of its Health Sciences Complex for the project. It invited students, businesses, and the public “to witness the future in action as these advanced machines prepare to join healthcare teams and reshape the reality of patient care.”
“The partnership with Chang Robotics reflects the growing strength of our engineering and computer science programs at Jacksonville University, aligning with our hands-on design curriculum where students learn the theory and apply their knowledge to relevant emerging technologies,” stated Dr. Barbara Ritter, dean of the Davis College of Business & Technology.
“Jacksonville is unique in the strong connections between practice and academia,” she added. “It’s these types of partnerships that ensure our graduates are some of the best-prepared in the country to be job-ready on Day 1.”
“Through this partnership with Chang Robotics, our students can collaborate at the cutting edge of healthcare technology, allowing them to apply their robotics, AI and programming skills in real-world scenarios,” said Bill Hill, executive director of Jacksonville University’s STEAM Institute. “It’s an unparalleled opportunity to shape the future of healthcare while preparing the next generation of engineers and computer scientists to lead innovation in an increasingly automated world.”
Chang Robotics preps cobots for hospital deployment
The partners said that the Chang Robotics Robot Studio will showcase the final programming and testing of eight new collaborative mobile robots. These “Co-Bots” are intended for deployment as partners to practitioners in a nearby hospital.
Chang Industrial, which does business as Chang Robotics, said it specializes in engineering advanced manufacturing, collaborative robotics, and disruptive automation. It serves a variety of sectors, including manufacturing, healthcare, government technology, and more.
The company has a number of healthcare-related projects in its portfolio, which includes autonomous hospital beds, robotic pharmacy equipment, nursing robots, and more.
Chang Robotics’ existing healthcare projects include autonomous hospital beds, which it said can independently navigate through hospital corridors, reducing the physical demands on healthcare workers. | Source: Chang Robotics
What to expect when visiting the Robot Studio
The Robot Studio serves as an educational resource and a showcase for robotic support of nurses and other healthcare professionals. Members of the public who would like to visit the Robot Studio in Jacksonville this month can register online.
Visitors can see autonomous mobile robots (AMRs) transport essential supplies within a simulated healthcare environment, moving from a designated supply room to patient rooms. The robots will handle various items, from linens and medical tools to meals and medications, demonstrating their potential to streamline hospital logistics.
In practice, the AMRs will handle many time-consuming and physically taxing aspects of staffers’ roles. Developers have found that robots can increase job satisfaction and reduce turnover for nurses and other health practitioners by enabling them to put more of their time and focus on the most valuable work — their face-to-face interactions with patients.
“This effort aims to showcase the importance of technological implementations like this and its positive impact on healthcare,” said Kate McAfoose, president of Chang Robotics. “We are helping all involved to take bigger steps in re-imagining digital, physical, and mobile health.”
McAfoose noted that the technology demonstrated in the new studio is being implemented and expanded in one of the nation’s largest hospital networks. Successful laboratories like that one and an IP Studio in Evanston, Ill., were major factors in Chang Robotics being recognized by Fast Company as one of 2024’s “Most Innovative Companies” in the AI and Robotics category.