Hallym University Kangnam Sacred Heart Hospital

Hallym University Sacred Heart Hospital is accelerating the establishment of a robotics ecosystem to implement a smart hospital through two national projects related to robotics.

Hallym University Sacred Heart Hospital is a participating institution for the project "Development and Dissemination of a Leading Model for Smart Hospital Service Robot Operation Based on RaaS" (hosted by the Ministry of Science and ICT). As a participating institution, the hospital was chosen as a co-research and development institution for the project "Development of International Standards for Autonomous Sterilization and Disinfection Robots in the Smart Hospital" (hosted by the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy).

Through this project, the hospital aims to develop a software-based business model to address the challenges faced by hospitals interested in adopting robots, such as high purchase costs, a lack of specialized personnel for robot operation, and complex on-site processes. The goal is to implement and expand this model to over 10 hospitals by the second year.

Based on its experience of successfully operating 73 the largest scale medical service robots across seven different types in the nation, Hallym University Sacred Heart Hospital plans to develop and enhance robot operation scenarios optimized for hospital processes. It will also conduct demonstrations of new robots. By doing so, it aims to provide on-site consulting and customized scenarios to hospitals interested in adopting service robots. Additionally, the hospital plans to introduce a "pay-as-you-go subscription service" model, where hospitals can be charged based on actual robot usage, thus minimizing the financial burden on hospitals adopting these technologies.

Also, the hospital plans to create new business models in the domestic robotics industry and lead the popularization of the robotics market through the advancement of cloud-based RaaS (Robotics as a Service) platforms, the development of an online evaluation system for robot operation suitability, the creation of a comprehensive change management model for robot introduction and the development and demonstration of process-linked robot services.

Developing international standards for disinfection robots: setting the global standard

Hallym University Sacred Heart Hospital in collaboration with the Korea Institute of Robotics and Convergence will undertake a national project to develop two international standards for hospital disinfection robots from April 2024 until December 2028. This project was selected under the 2024 First National Standards Technology Enhancement Program, organized by the National Standards Institute of the Ministry of Trade, Industry, and Energy, under the theme ‘Development of International Standards for Autonomous Disinfection and Sterilization Robots in Smart Hospitals.’

After the COVID-19 pandemic, preventing infections in hospitals and public spaces has become a critical issue, which lead to a rising need for disinfection robots. However, due to the lack of unified international standards, manufacturers have applied different criteria and functions to their robots. It made it difficult to ensure safety and reliability in disinfection. Additionally, compatibility issues between different manufacturers could lead to increased costs.

To address these issues, Hallym University Sacred Heart Hospital and the Korea Institute of Robotics and Convergence plan to develop two international standards: one for the functional requirements of autonomous disinfection and sterilization robots in hospitals, and another for guidelines on autonomous disinfection services using robots in smart hospitals. Through this initiative, they aim to lead the global standardization of disinfection robots and contribute to infection prevention and the establishment of efficient disinfection systems in hospitals. They also plan to focus on the expansion of smart disinfection technologies.

Dr. Me Yeon Lee, Director of the Command Center and Professor in the Department of Radiation Oncology, stated, “By developing an RaaS-based robot operation model, we aim to activate the introduction of robots in hospitals and set a standard in the global robot market through the development of international standards for disinfection robots.” She added, “We are committed to successfully completing these projects and contributing to the creation of medical environments where service robots can assist in a range of hospitals both domestically and internationally.”