Robots in the Hallways: A Health System's Bet on Automation to Save Nursing

WINTER HAVEN, FL – June 03, 2026 – In the bustling corridors of Winter Haven Hospital and Winter Haven Women's Hospital, two new team members are quietly making their rounds. Named "Miles" and "Stork," they don't wear scrubs or carry stethoscopes, but their work is becoming integral to patient care. These are autonomous delivery robots, the latest additions to BayCare Health System's growing investment in automation, a strategic move aimed squarely at one of the most pressing crises in modern healthcare: the national nursing shortage.

This expansion, in partnership with Silicon Valley's Relay Robotics, represents more than just a technological novelty. It signals a systemic shift in how large healthcare organizations are rethinking their operational foundations. By offloading the relentless, time-consuming tasks of transporting lab specimens, medications, and supplies, BayCare is making a calculated bet that technology can restore the most valuable commodity in any hospital: a nurse's time. The initiative moves beyond patching workforce gaps and instead seeks to rebuild the system to be more resilient, efficient, and, ultimately, more human-centric.

The Human ROI: Alleviating Burnout and Reclaiming Bedside Time

For frontline healthcare workers, the daily reality is often a marathon of logistical hurdles. Before the arrival of its robotic assistant "Beaker" in a 2025 pilot, staff at BayCare's St. Anthony's Hospital were acting as runners up to 60 times a day in older wings lacking pneumatic tube systems. This is the unseen labor that contributes to burnout, pulling highly skilled clinicians away from direct patient interaction.

By automating this "fetch-and-carry" work, the impact is immediate. The two new robots at the Winter Haven facilities are projected to complete over 500 deliveries per month, saving an estimated 150 clinical hours in that same period. That's the equivalent of nearly four full-time work weeks redirected from logistics back to patient care. "It's easy to use," noted Karin Thatcher, a pharmacy team member at Winter Haven Hospital, who anticipates the robot will significantly reduce patient wait times, particularly for those in the infusion center. This sentiment is echoed at the leadership level. The positive reception at St. Anthony's prompted the region's Chief Nursing Officer, Kristen Smith, to advocate for the expansion, recognizing the robots as a key tool to free up her teams.

This focus on staff well-being is not an isolated effort for BayCare. The health system has been concurrently expanding a successful "Nurse Well-Being" program, which in its pilot phase reduced nurse burnout by 34% and achieved zero turnover among new hires. The integration of robots like Miles and Stork is the technological manifestation of this same people-first strategy. It allows nurses to practice at the top of their license, focusing on complex care, critical thinking, and the compassionate patient connection that inspired them to enter the field—factors proven to increase job satisfaction and retention.

Inside the Silent Logistics Revolution

What makes this new generation of hospital assistants so effective is the sophisticated, yet unobtrusive, technology powering them. Relay Robotics' units are not confined to pre-set tracks or limited by a building's existing infrastructure. Using a combination of advanced LiDAR and 3D computer vision, the robots create a dynamic map of their environment, allowing them to navigate complex, crowded hospital hallways and safely maneuver around people and unexpected obstacles.

One of the company's key differentiators is its proprietary software that enables seamless integration with a wide array of elevator systems. This allows the robots to autonomously call and ride elevators, granting them access to multiple floors without any human intervention—a critical capability in sprawling medical centers. Unlike pneumatic tube systems, which are costly to install and limited in what they can carry, these robots can transport larger or more fragile items, such as certain IV bags or sensitive blood products that could be damaged by high-speed air transport.

Security and infection control are paramount. Deliverables are placed in high-security, lockable bins that can only be opened by an authorized user swiping their badge. The robots' surfaces are designed to be easily sanitized, and their contact-free operation helps mitigate the spread of infection. This "infrastructure-light" approach, requiring no facility modifications, makes deployment relatively swift. A typical hospital can be mapped and have its staff trained within weeks, a stark contrast to the disruptive construction required for older logistical systems.

BayCare's Broader Bet on a Future-Proof System

The decision to scale this technology from a single-hospital pilot to a system-wide strategy underscores BayCare's vision for a highly automated, future-proof healthcare model. The initial success at St. Anthony's, which boasted a 99.8% delivery success rate across 50 daily deliveries, provided the proof of concept. Now, BayCare is formalizing its commitment to automation as a core solution to operational and staffing challenges.

"BayCare is a high-authority partner who is committed to investing in innovation," said Sultan Mehrabi, CEO of Relay Robotics, highlighting the health system's proactive stance. This partnership is just one piece of a larger puzzle. In a parallel move, BayCare recently initiated a pilot with robotics company Rovex to explore automating patient transport workflows, with future phases potentially including robotic stretcher movement. This multi-pronged approach demonstrates a deep-seated belief that automation is not about replacing humans, but augmenting them across various operational domains.

This forward-looking strategy is backed by significant capital, with the health system investing $2.8 billion in modernizing its facilities and technology. From AI tools that reduce administrative burdens to virtual nursing programs, BayCare is systematically identifying points of friction and deploying technology to smooth them out. The goal is a cohesive, intelligent hospital environment where technology handles the routine, freeing humans to manage the exceptional.

A New Standard in a Sector Under Strain

BayCare's initiative is not happening in a vacuum. It is a powerful local example of a global trend driven by necessity. With a projected global deficit of 4.5 million nurses by 2030, hospital systems worldwide are turning to autonomous mobile robots (AMRs) to build resilience. Competitors like Aethon and Diligent Robotics' "Moxi" are also being deployed in U.S. hospitals, each contributing to a growing body of evidence that automation can create more sustainable working conditions for clinical staff.

The market for "smart hospitals" is surging, reflecting a consensus that technology is essential for survival and growth. By automating logistics, hospitals not only improve efficiency but also enhance patient safety. Every trip a robot makes is a potential interruption avoided for a nurse administering medication or a lab technician processing a critical sample. The result is a calmer, more focused, and less error-prone environment. For patients, the benefits are both direct—like shorter waits for medication—and indirect, through the gift of a more present and attentive care team. This quiet, rolling workforce may just be building a new standard of care.