Pharmacies and other institutions now can use robots and automatic storage systems to speed the organization and retrieval of drugs and reduce errors.

Finnish firm New Icon created sorting robots and storage systems in which robot arms are able to identify drugs and put them in the right storage slot as well as retrieve them after the pharmacist types the name into a computer.

“Our solutions make customer processes more efficient and streamlined, and that gives financial benefits,” says Jori-Matti Savolainen, marketing director of New Icon. “Our products also ease employees’ work by doing repetitive tasks.” The products also increase patient safety by minimizing medication errors, according to Savolainen.

In November 2014 Finnish Industry Investment and the pension company Etera invested 2.3 million Euros into the company. New Icon is using that capital to develop more products and to build an international sales network.

“The automation for medical care is in a transition phase,” Savolainen explains. “Pioneer customers are using new technology and behind them are many followers waiting for their feedback. The benefits and advantages can be seen easily and the future for medical automation seems really bright.”

Source: FinnFacts