| Project Reference: | ITP/011/21LP |
| Project Title: | Smart Transporters for material handlings in hospitals |
| Hosting Institution: | LSCM R&D Centre (LSCM) |
| Abstract: | Hospital logistics operations in Hong Kong are labour-intensive and lack of advanced technology. Recently, “Smart Hospital” initiative was proposed by Hong Kong Hospital Authority (HKHA) to deploy state-of-the-art technologies to enable effective and efficient day-to-day operations. Autonomous mobile robots (AMRs) were recommended to assist hospital workers in various material handling tasks e.g. moving linens from the laundry room to hospital wards several times per day. In some cases, the linens can be weighted upto 200Kg. This project aims to research and develop a smart transporter with a set of special grippers to hold/grasp a trolley. It is then be able to self-navigated and delivery the trolley (and its items/goods) to destinations. The transporter may be required to travel through automatic doors, inclined path and a short outdoor path between hospital blocks. In addition, the transporter is able to auto-align to the trolleys. With some minor modifications, the transporter may also be deployed to other logistic hubs e.g. airports. |
| Project Coordinator: | Dr Ka Lun Fan |
| Approved Funding Amount: | HK$2.71M |
| Project Period: | 31 Mar 2021 - 30 Mar 2022 |
