LOS ANGELES (KNX) — The “Moxi” twins are the latest additions to the Cedars-Sinai Medical Center team in Los Angeles and offer a robotic edge to the team.
The twins are two robots designed and created by Diligent Robotics. They’re zipping through the hallways of the medical center offering assists to nurses and patients alike, for things like medical equipment and even gifts from the shop downstairs.
“We love Moxi,” Melanie Barone, associate nursing director, said in a statement. “She provides opportunities to improve workflows and be more efficient — but I think it’s a fun thing to see around the halls.
Barone said having the Moxis feels “future forward” and even though the twins are robotic, they’re incredibly able to form connections and boost morale.
When a Moxi is on duty, they’re able to deliver a few things and are pretty easy to call up for a job.
“Moxi delivers items…either that are too heavy or just don’t fit in a normal system,” Barone said, explaining that if someone needs IV pumps, cleaning wipes or cushions for patients, all they have to do is pull up the app and either call or text Moxi to make a request. Then, they’ll find out the robot’s status and learn how long the task will take to complete.
David Marshall, Cedars-Sinai senior vice president and chief nursing executive, said the robots are at the medical center as part of a pilot program with Diligent Robotics.
Each task they complete is recorded and so far their typical completion time is just 30 minutes — not bad for a nurse in need who can’t leave their station.
“What we have seen is that nurses, especially during the pandemic, are working long hours and can spend an astonishing 30% of their time fetching and gathering supplies,” Dr. Andrea Thomaz, co-founder of Diligent Robotics, said in a statement.
“That’s a lot of time spent away from patients, so we designed Moxi to be the perfect teammate for nurses and healthcare workers."
Aside from being a helping hand, Moxi was designed with personality in mind. So when she cruises through the halls, staff and patients are actually able to interact with her and she’ll be able to smile and wave hello.
“The staff gets a little energy out of being around the robot, Marshall said. “Even our patients and families — just the other day I saw a picture of a child in the hospital playing peek-a-boo with Moxi — it has positive benefits.”
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