robotics

 The robot helps to reduce staff-patient contact with highly infectious diseases at the point of testing by autonomously navigating and safely collecting patient samples.

According to Omron, the robot can get up and running with a simple software integration and does not require modifications or construction of the premises it is used in.

The Series A raise comes just a few months after the company raised $3 million in seed funding.

The company, known for its ElliQ countertop AI device for seniors, is also working on personal assistant software for cars and other use cases.

The organisations will look at how technologies including socially assistive robots could improve patient care. 

The company's healthcare robot, called Moxi, can deliver medical supplies and lab samples across the hospital.

Data from 19 studies suggest emotional benefits for those living in homes, but stress that the simulated pets won't be accepted by every senior.

A new programme based at Imperial College London will focus on technologies that help people with dementia to live well in their own homes, while generating data to help researchers better understand the cause and progression of the condition.

In a small study published in PLOS ONE, 80 percent of participants using a surrogate robot achieved clinically meaningful improvement on a modified version of the Action Research Arm Test.