iRobot’s Telemedicine Robots Now in Seven Hospitals

iRobot could be taking up residency at a hospital near you.

Seven North American hospitals are now using the RP-VITA robots developed by Bedford-based iRobot and InTouch Health to allow remote doctor-patient interaction, according to announcements earlier this week.

The robot utilizes a video screen atop an autonomous mobile base able to navigate hospitals to allow doctors to conduct bedside visits remotely.

Click on the video to your right to see the RP-VITA robot in action.

The robot will allow "doctors and patients to interact with nothing more than an iPad and video screen" and will cost a hospital between $4,000 to $6,000 per month, reports CBS Local.

The RP-VITA received approval by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, making it the first remote presence robot approved to navigate autonomously through a hospital's halls, according to a report by the Boston Herald earlier this year.

RP-VITA stands for “Remote Presence Virtual + Independent Telemedicine Assistant) according to an iRobot press release announcing the unveiling of the robot.

The RP-VITA combines InTouch Health’s telemedicine technology with iRobot’s latest autonomous navigation and mobility capabilities, the release, from July 2012, said.

“While this represents our first foray into the healthcare market, the RP-VITA represents a robust platform, and we foresee many future opportunities in adjacent markets,” Colin Angle, chairman and CEO of iRobot, said at the time of the release. “Robots like the RP-VITA and iRobot Ava are easy to use and able to autonomously navigate real world environments. They lend themselves to a wide variety of applications in home, retail, industrial and other settings.”

According to Investors Business Daily, medical centers deploying the RP-Vita include Dignity Health, Sacramento, Calif.; Hoag Memorial Hospital Presbyterian, Orange County, Calif.; Instituto de Salud del Estado de Mexico, Toluca, Mexico; Ohio State Wexner Medical Center, Columbus, Ohio; Providence Saint Joseph Medical Center, Burbank, Calif.; Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center, Los Angeles; and St. Mary's Medical Center, Huntington, W.Va.