Mayo clinic Partners with Robotics Firm Sphaira to Advance Autonomous Patient Transport
ROCHESTER, MN – In a move poised to reshape patient mobility within hospital settings, the Mayo Clinic has announced a strategic know-how agreement with Sphaira, a leading developer of autonomous patient transporters and hospital guidance robots. The collaboration will focus on refining Sphaira’s next-generation autonomous mobility technologies, with a particular emphasis on usability and integration within complex clinical environments.
[Image of Sphaira’s Moby P1 mobile protective vehicle allowing a patient to safely leave their room. Caption: Sphaira’s Moby P1 mobile protective vehicle allows patients in medical isolation to leave their rooms safely. [Photo courtesy of Sphaira]]
Sphaira’s core technologies include a one-person shuttle – an autonomous transport system for patients and visitors – and a guidance robot designed to assist individuals navigating large healthcare campuses.Under the agreement, Mayo Clinic experts will provide critical input on product design, workflow integration, and overall usability, leveraging their extensive clinical experience.
“This collaboration centers on optimizing both hardware and software for clinical use,” Sphaira stated in a press release. “The goal is to inform future product design and lay the groundwork for potential procurement pathways.” Mayo Clinic will also offer dedicated test environments and development tracks to accelerate the iterative design and validation process.
This partnership highlights a growing trend in healthcare towards leveraging robotics and AI to improve patient care and operational efficiency. Sphaira’s Moby P1, already in use at the Charité Hospital Berlin’s pediatric oncology department, is a Class I medical device under EU regulations. It allows patients requiring medical isolation – such as those with compromised immune systems – to safely move around and maintain closer contact with loved ones.
[Image of sphaira’s Moby P1 in use at Charité Hospital Berlin. Caption: Sphaira’s Moby P1 allowed an immunocompromised patient named Ahmad to safely go beyond the walls of the Charité Hospital Berlin and have closer contact with others. [Photo courtesy of Charité Hospital Berlin]]
“We build physical AI to help caregivers focus on what matters most – providing care,” said Janis Münch, CEO of Sphaira, which is based in Berlin, Germany and Cambridge, massachusetts. “Collaborating with leading healthcare institutions like mayo Clinic provides invaluable insight into real-world clinical workflows as we refine our technology.”
Sphaira anticipates submitting the Moby P1 for FDA 510(k) clearance or de novo authorization in the first half of 2026, potentially bringing this innovative technology to U.S. hospitals.
Keywords: mayo Clinic,Sphaira,Robotics,Autonomous Vehicles,Healthcare Technology,Patient Transport,Medical Devices,AI,hospital Innovation,Moby P1,Medical Robotics.
