Museum Acquires Mobile Robotic Courier

R2-D2 and C-3PO from "Star Wars," The Robot from "Lost in Space," and Johnny 5 from "Short Circuit" are all famous robots, and now the Armed Forces Institute of Pathology's National Museum of Health and Medicine has its own.

A HelpMate mobile robotic courier was recently donated to the museum by the Walter Reed Army Hospital. Named after Walter Reed's wife, Emilie, the robot stands 4 feet, 6 inches tall and weighs approximately 600 pounds. First used at the hospital in 1997, the robotic courier was able to move on its own to deliver pharmaceuticals. It spoke with a feminine voice.

The robotic courier used sensor technology, wireless radio, and software to guide itself throughout the hospital. It was programmable to locate any room in the hospital and use elevators. Emilie was developed by Helpmate Robotics Inc, which was acquired by Pyxis Corporation in 1999. Pyxis created the first automated medication machines a little more than a decade ago.

Although there are currently 98 robotic couriers like Emilie in use today, once new technologies were introduced Emilie became obsolete. There was also a second robotic courier used at the hospital, named Walter, which had been previously taken out of service. Emilie is still functional although there are no plans to activate it in the museum.

"The robot was intended to save health-care workers from making trips to other parts of the hospital to retrieve records, X-rays, specimens, and pharmaceuticals, and concentrate on their patient care duties instead," said Alan Hawk, manager of the museum's historical collections. "This machine rep-resents the increasing cost of health-care providers. Manuel Rosetti, a researcher, concluded that the robot system could pay for itself within two years."

The historical collection at the National Museum of Health and Medicine documents changes in medical technology since the early 17th century and includes objects ranging in size from a suture needle to a 2-ton MRI magnet, such as X-ray equipment, microscopes, surgical instruments, numismatics, and anatomical models. The collection is made available for the education of medical professionals, Department of Defense personnel, historians, and the public through exhibits in the museum, loans to other institutions, and individualized study.