[News] Robots Navigate Swiss Hospital
Schindler’s smart building solutions are redefining hospital #logistics by connecting Automated Guided Vehicles with intelligent elevator systems
Healthcare facilities are becoming increasingly connected, with intelligent building technology playing a greater role in day-to-day operations. One of the biggest developments is the rise of Automated Guided Vehicles (#AGVs), autonomous #robots designed to transport supplies safely and efficiently throughout hospitals.
From delivering meals and clean laundry to transporting medicines, sterile equipment and clinical waste, Automated Guided Vehicles are helping hospitals streamline logistics and free up valuable staff time.
However, while the robots often receive the attention, they can only operate effectively if the building itself is intelligent enough to support them.
This is where Schindler is leading the way.
At HOCH Health Ostschweiz in St. Gallen, Switzerland, Schindler has successfully integrated Automated Guided Vehicles with its intelligent elevator systems and digital building technologies, creating one of Europe’s most advanced examples of automated hospital logistics.
➡️ Automated Guided Vehicles Need More Than Just Robots
Modern hospitals are complex environments, with thousands of people, supplies and pieces of equipment moving through the building every day.
While Automated Guided Vehicles can navigate corridors independently, moving between multiple floors presents a completely different challenge.
Without intelligent elevator integration, an autonomous robot would simply stop at the lift and wait for human assistance.
Schindler has solved this challenge by creating an ecosystem where elevators, robots and building management systems communicate with one another automatically, allowing Automated Guided Vehicles to travel throughout an entire hospital without manual intervention.
➡️ A Smart Hospital Built Around Intelligent Mobility
HOCH Health Ostschweiz is currently undergoing one of Switzerland’s largest hospital modernisation programmes, with the newly completed Haus 07A/B representing a major milestone in the redevelopment.
The new facilities include a large operating and interventional floor alongside 96 modern patient rooms, all supported by Schindler’s vertical transportation technology.
Haus 07A alone features 20 Schindler elevators, while a further six elevators are being installed in Haus 07B as construction continues.
Originally, the project focused on modernising the hospital’s vertical transportation systems. During construction, however, the hospital identified a growing need to support Automated Guided Vehicles across the campus.
Rather than treating this as a separate project, Schindler adapted the building infrastructure, expanding its digital ecosystem so autonomous robots could become a fully integrated part of the hospital’s daily operations.
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