Frequently Asked Questions - How the Tug Works

Giving Time Back to the Patient

Easy Start Up and Operation

How a Tug Works

Frequently Asked Questions

The Tug in the News


	COST SAVINGS
	OPERATING THE TUG
	TUG MECHANICS
	HOW THE TUG WORKS
	TUG SECURITY



	How does it know where it’s going? The Tug has a pc on-board, which contains a map of the building. The Tug uses ded-reckoning and measurements from its sensors to continuously track its location on the map within ±3". How is the hospital map created? The Tug OS imports CAD drawings of the hospital building and automatically creates the on-board map, which is verified by the Aethon Engineer. What’s the chance that a Tug will lose its way? Tugs rarely lose their way because Aethon’s patented navigation system generates only small errors (<1%) and those are continuously corrected using infrared sensors, called light whiskers, pointed outward from each side to continuously measure the distance to nearby walls. A Tug always knows its location within ±3".		How does the Tug avoid people and other obstacles? The Tug uses an array of sensitive light whiskers to detect objects in its path. If an object blocks the Tug's path, it simply goes around. How does the Tug handle elevators and doors? The Tug uses the service elevator. It calls the elevator and chooses the floor using a wireless ethernet signal. The Tug also signals automatic door openers on hallway doors. How do multiple Tugs interact? The Tug OS allows Tugs to function efficiently with each other, automatically avoiding bottlenecks and coordinating elevator use. Will the Tug’s communications affect other hospital systems? The Tug is autonomous—it doesn’t need to interface with the existing hospital systems. Tug communications use wireless ethernet.

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