The Friends of the Friarage, the Northallerton hospital, which is part of the South Tees Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, is currently home to Akara Robotics’ UV decontamination units.
Following positive initial trial results, two of Akara’s decontamination robots – winners of the Best Newcomer award at the Infection Prevention Society Conference 2024 – can now be seen in the hospital’s clinical decisions unit, wards, and operating theatres as part of the next stage of the clinical evaluation of the technology.
Working in tandem with the strong team of environmental services staff, the robots serve as a powerful tool to enable the hospital to decontaminate rooms with a quicker turnaround time.
Akara’s robots build on more than a decade of robotics and artificial intelligence research conducted at Trinity College Dublin
Niamh Donnelly, co-founder and Chief Robotics Officer, Akara Robotics, said: “Akara’s robots build on more than a decade of robotics and artificial intelligence research conducted at Trinity College Dublin, from which the company spun out. Unique AI capabilities give our robots the ability to operate autonomously, which enables them to navigate and decontaminate clinical rooms based on a programme of cleaning instructions that they are given."
Frontline staff, working with Akara, have created a bespoke workflows app with the aim of removing the need for paper checklists, and providing real-time alerts when rooms are available, further enhancing efficiency.
Conor McGinn, CEO of Akara and Professor in Trinity’s School of Engineering, said: “Our robot has been designed not just to improve the quality and consistency of cleaning, but to make life easier for staff by streamlining workflows. Importantly, it helps hospitals enable quicker room turnaround times and shorten the time it takes for patients to be admitted.”
Working in tandem with the strong team of environmental services staff, the robots serve as a powerful tool to enable the hospital to decontaminate rooms with a quicker turnaround time
Earlier this year, Akara was accepted into the Techstars Healthcare Accelerator in Los Angeles, a programme sponsored by leading US healthcare providers, including UnitedHealth and Cedars-Sinai.
Following the successful completion of their first trial in a US hospital, Akara has gained early traction in the American market.
Looking ahead, Akara aims to expand its presence in the US healthcare market while continuing to scale operations in Europe.
The company is also preparing to formally launch a new product next year designed to help hospitals reclaim lost time in their surgical departments, improving efficiency and patient throughput.
Top image: Dr James Dunbar of the Friarage Hospital and Niamh Donnelly of Akara Robotics with the robot and representatives from Friends For the Friarage and the Friarage Domestics Team.