The spread of robots in the world of work is growing unabated, putting the survival of various professional figures at risk. In addition to Amelia, the artificial intelligence designed to replace secretaries, there are other less striking but equally advanced realities that stand out in Italy as technological avant-gardes. It is the case ofMorgagni hospital in Forlì, where they have been in service for years now eight robots, each of which carries out a body of work that was previously entrusted to three employees.
In essence, these are attendants 2.0 with a very high level of efficiency. They transport medicines, waste, linen and meals from one department to another without ever stopping, to the point that each robot manages to perform 350 trips per day, collecting and delivering the material according to the orders and priorities established by the programming. Fully loaded they are able to move up to 400 kilos of material housed inside the trolleys and all their activities are monitored by an operations centre, which keeps track of every movement.
Not only that: if necessary, small automatons they take the lift and ask for permission when they encounter obstacles in their path. An apparently futuristic but already real technology, which brings the Forlì hospital closer to that of Mountain View, in Silicon Valley, where there are no less than 18 robots in operation.
“Given the well-known theme of the growing increase in health care costs and the connected need for cost containment – reads the book 'Prices & Values. Enterprise value in the digital age', edited by Tamburi Investment Partners – it is considered plausible that phenomena of this kind are destined to develop rapidly”.
On a technical level, the robots of the Forlì hospital have a memory the complete mapping of the structure and are equipped with a laser technology which always keeps them at a safe distance from the walls. An optical sensor instantly transmits the impulse of any stationary or moving obstacles, including people in transit, allowing changes of direction in total safety. Automatons also have the gift of speech and communicate their passage at the start and at every turn along the route.
In order to have such advanced tools were necessary an investment of one million euros and upgrading of the hospital, from the positioning of the ethernet network to the activation of the Wi-Fi network in the underground area, including the installation of a new lift and the upgrading of some floors.
