Telepresence RP-VITA Robot Receives FDA Approval And Can Be Used in Emergency Situations

This is the first robot of its kind to get FDA approval.  It has voice and facial recognition, touch screen capabilities and can be used with a smart phone.  Here’s a video that shows the RP-VITA in use.  When it is done, the unit parks itself.  The doctor is remoting in and interacts with the nurse and patient. 


In addition the company has other models but this is the top of the line.

This is the first robot of its kind to get FDA approval.  It has voice and facial recognition, touch screen capabilities and can be used with a smart phone.  Here’s a video that shows the RP-VITA in use.  When it is done, the unit parks itself.  The doctor is remoting in and interacts with the nurse and patient. 


In addition the company has other models but this is the top of the line.


During Hurricane Sandy a doctor saved a stroke victim in New Jersey.  Here’s another video that explains how the unit works and how all collaborate via the unit for patient care.  BD

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RP-VITA (Remote Presence Virtual + Independent Telemedicine Assistant) is a remote-, iPad-operated telepresence bot. It’s become the first self-navigating communications robot to receive FDA certification, developers InTouch and iRobot said at CES 2013.

The machine is approved “for telemedicine consults inclusive of active patient monitoring in high-acuity environments where immediate clinical action may be required,” InTouch said in a release. Specifically, it’s cleared for “active patient monitoring in pre-operative, peri-operative and post-surgical settings, including cardiovascular, neurological, prenatal, psychological, and critical care assessments and examinations.”

Based on iRobot’s AVA telepresence platform, RP-VITA was unveiled last year. It’s been put through trials at Hoag Memorial Hospital Presbyterian, Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center, and Children’s Hospital of Orange County, and leasing will begin this year at about $6,000 a month.

“This is the first FDA clearance for a navigating robot,” Wang says. “It’s approved for emergency use, and will be used in life and death situations before other uses. Just as early cell phones were used in emergencies before becoming ubiquitous.”