Mobile robot simulation of clinical laboratory deliveries

Flexible automation in the form of mobile robots holds the potential for decreasing operating costs while improving delivery performance in mid-size hospital delivery systems. This paper discusses the use of simulation modeling to analyze the costs, benefits, and performance tradeoffs related to the installation and use of a fleet of mobile robots within mid-size hospital facilities. The results of this study enable a better understanding of the delivery and transportation requirements of mid-sized hospitals and how a fleet of mobile robots can meet those requirements. We show that for clinical laboratory deliveries a fleet of 6 mobile robots can achieve significant performance gains over the current system of 3 human couriers while still remaining cost effective. The 6-robot alternative reduces the annual cost by approximately 56% and improves turn-around time performance by 33%