Mia Christiansen
It won’t be long before goods will come out from the walls in the hospitals. “Intelligent hospital logistics” (IHL) is one of the most ground-breaking development projects in the area of hospital logistics.
The concept combines existing technologies and creates a new integrated transport-and inventory system: fully automated infrastructures build into the walls and ceiling of the hospital. Creating automated transport and storage that will be built in and supplies move around by themselves and appear where and when they are needed. The project is collaboration with 5 Danish hospitals and 10 private companies that are engaged in the project.
Technology
IHL can transport and storage nearly everything that can fit into the system’s plastic boxes. For instance clinical samples, medicine, non-durable goods, mail, trash, food etc. The installation of the system will be in two towers behind the hospital walls.
The two towers are integrated with an electronic operating system, which can be accessed by all staff members, e.g. by the use of a tablet. With the tablet the nurse can easily order the things he or she needs.
The logistics system is composed of:
• Fully automatic horizontal transport and storage in boxes of 60x40x30 cm (75 litres)
• Fully automatic vertical transport of boxes in lift shaft
• Smartphone / Tablet App and PC / Web client for ordering items
• Fully automatic opening for delivery shaft, equipped with touch screen
• Auto store (an unmanned mobile robot that freely transports goods from place to place at 11 km / h)
• “Miniload”, as a combined crane and storage solution for goods stored in plastic boxes.
Combining these technologies and (especially) tailor them to a hospital concept, makes the IHL project unique. All the individuella elements can be modified, adapted, adjusted or replaced to meet the needs and wants of the individual hospital.
…Some numbers:
The autostore robots move up to 11 km per second. hour.
The hoist of the Miniload crane runs up to 14.4 km per. hour. Yhe system port has a corresponding high speed. The switching times for communication to / from and between components are correspondingly fast (0.5 seconds).
All of this creates an infrastructure that allows automatic movement of both used and new supplies.
Reusing existing technology –just in a different framework
Not just focusing on infrastructure both also the use. There are much more complicated logistics situations (than you would see in private manufacturing companies) where supplies come in one way and goes out from the other (a pipeline). In hospitals everything circulates, which makes an intelligent logistic system a perfect solution.
References:
Health Innovation, 2014 – https://www.syddansksundhedsinnovation.dk/projekter/afsluttede-projekter/intelligent-hospitalslogistik-ihl-til-eksisterende-og-nye-sygehuse/
Intelligent Hospital Logistics – http://ihl.nu/
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