The Garfield Center is like the editorial department of a tech magazine: full of the latest gadgets.
These three products got the biggest “wows” from our recent tour with business support manager Sherry Fry.
A robot to take out the laundry
This device attaches to a standard hospital supply cart and can pull up to 500 pounds.
“If a nurse is in a patient room and needs something, she can call this robot with her handheld device and she can stay with the patient while it delivers what she needs,” Fry said. “It also can navigate back to its docking station to recharge.”
Fry said that in addition to giving nurses more time to spend with patients, the robot could handle heavy tasks — like moving large baskets of linens — which could reduce workplace injuries.It is also smart enough to navigate back to its docking station and plug in to recharge after making a delivery.
No more passwords on sticky notes
Another pain point that the center is trying to solve is computer log ons.
“During an average shift, a nurse has to log on to a computer system up to 75 times,” Fry said.
A new camera mounted on a computer screen maps part of an individual’s face and that image becomes the password.
“A nurse steps in front of the computer screen and is automatically logged on to the last screen she was using,” Fry said. “She steps away and is automatically logged off.”
Doppler radar for premature babies
Another “coming soon to a hospital near you” project could use radar waves instead of leads to monitor a baby’s heartbeat and respiration. There was a KAI monitor in the center’s new NICU room. The new monitor has not received FDA approval yet, but the center has been testing it.
“Preemies have such fragile skin that this would be a big improvement for them,” Fry said.

 

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