Ottonomy, Arrive AI partner to launch asynchronous robotic medical deliveries at Indiana hospital

Ottonomy, a California-based provider of autonomous delivery robots powered by advanced Contextual AI, announced the launch of a two-year partnership with autonomous delivery infrastructure provider Arrive AI.

Through the partnership, the companies plan to create the world's first deployment of fully asynchronous robotic pick up and deliveries of medical specimens at Hancock Health, a regional healthcare system in Indiana and a member of the Mayo Clinic Care Network.

Ottonomy and Arrive AI said this marks significant cost savings and operational efficiencies for Hancock Health while enabling healthcare professionals to focus on direct patient care.

Autonomous delivery robots and smart receptacles

The partnership integrates Ottonomy's Ottobot autonomous delivery robots with Arrive AI's patented smart receptacles, called Arrive Points, to create what the companies said is the world's first unattended pickup and drop-off system for healthcare deliveries - eliminating the need for human handoffs at delivery endpoints.

"Hospitals are huge places,” said Ritukar Vijay, CEO of Ottonomy. “Medical professionals, who would rather be delivering direct patient care, walk thousands of steps a day moving biospecimens and other items. The combination of Arrive Points and Ottobot robots offers enormous value."

Ottonomy's Ottobot robots travel autonomously between Arrive Points throughout Hancock Regional Hospital, transporting biospecimens and other medical items that would otherwise require valuable clinical staff time. The robots navigate complex hospital environments safely and efficiently using Ottonomy's proprietary Contextual AI technology - a behavior-based, situationally aware navigation system designed for crowded, dynamic healthcare settings.

"The asynchronous pickup and delivery with secure chain-of-custody is a huge boost to clinicians' valuable time," Vijay said. "This is the world's first unattended pickup and drop-off by robots in healthcare. It's game-changing."

Transforming healthcare logistics

Hancock Regional Hospital has Arrive Points installed throughout the facility, serving the Sue Ann Wortman Cancer Center, along with locations near the laboratory and surgical center. Each is about one-eighth of a mile from nurses' stations. When lab specimens are ready for transport, staff place them in the nearest Arrive Point.

The unit signals an Ottobot, which retrieves the items autonomously and delivers them to the designated Arrive Point. Medical staff are alerted that a delivery is waiting, and items remain at the proper temperature until authorized staff retrieve them.

"Some hospitals, including a few in Indiana, already use robots for repetitive tasks, but those still require human interaction when the robots reach their destinations," said Dan O’Toole, CEO of Arrive AI. "Ours is the first to provide a universal access point where biospecimens can be securely housed until busy healthcare professionals are ready for them. At scale, our platform will generate data insights that drive even greater innovation."

Ottonomy and Arrive AI said that the impact on clinical workflow is immediate and measurable.

Clara Quakenbush, a medical assistant at the Cancer Center, said she often spends at least 90 minutes a day, over 10 to 15 trips, walking specimens between the Cancer Center and the hospital lab. Using the Arrive Points and Ottobot system cuts that time away from patients at least in half.

"Every minute spent delivering samples is a minute not spent with patients," Quakenbush said. "Having the robots handle those deliveries is going to save us so much time."

Steve Long, president and CEO of Hancock Health, said his team is always looking for ways to improve efficiencies and found the Arrive AI solution especially compelling.

"Patient care is our top priority and introducing Arrive AI into our facility helps ensure our providers can maximize one-on-one time with their patients," Long said. "Whether through the latest surgical innovations or robotics, Hancock Health is committed to staying at the forefront of healthcare technology to provide the best care for East Central Indiana."

Long added that performance indicators make it likely Hancock Health will expand the technology across its broader network of more than 30 locations in East Central Indiana.