NASA SBIR SUCCESS STORY Johnson Space Center
1995 Phase II

Two-Armed, Mobile Sensate, Research Robot

Helpmate Robotics Inc. (acquired by Pyxis Corporation).

San Diego, CA

INNOVATION
HelpMate is a trackless, robotic courier system designed to perform material transport tasks throughout the hospital environment. Twenty-four hours a day, 365 days a year, HelpMate transports pharmaceuticals, lab specimens, equipment and supplies, meals, medical records and radiology films back and forth between support departments and nursing floors.

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ACCOMPLISHMENTS
  • Pyxis Corporation, a subsidiary of Cardinal Health, Inc. (acquired HelpMate Robotics, Inc.) of Danbury, Connecticut, the developer and manufacturer of advanced mobile robotics systems used primarily in hospitals, laboratories and other medical settings.
COMMERCIALIZATION
  • Many HelpMate couriers are in use today, both individually and in small fleets. Pyxis is fully integrating the HelpMate system and patented technology with its leading line of automated pharmaceutical and medical-supply dispensing systems.
  • HelpMate Robotics (originaly Transitions Research) was founded in 1984. During its early years, the company's focus was contract engineering and research and development for third parties, including NASA.

GOVERNMENT/SCIENCEAPPLICATIONS

  • The two-armed, mobile sensate, research robot project addressed the design of a two-armed, mobile, anthropomorphic testbed to allow development and demonstration of robotic support tasks to lead to design requirement for NASA on-orbit mechanisms. With sponsorship of Congressman Archer, Helpmate presented the case for robotic home care to the Health Care Finance Administration.
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