Dispensing with Robots

We have a pharmacy robot installed in our pharmacy in Townview. The ARX Speedcase is produced by the most successful pharmacy automation company in Europe and started working in Mallow in June, 2007. ARX stands for automated dispensing A for automation and Rx, the symbol for recipe, the Latin instruction that a physician used to write on a prescription meaning “take”.

The Speedcase’s design is a picking head on a track situated between two sets of glass shelving. The robot decides on the most appropriate sized shelf for each medicine. The picking head moves both vertically and horizontally and can turn to access stock in either shelving unit. The picking head also puts new stock on the shelves.

In the picking process, the picking head aligns itself with the item on the shelf and a small diameter tube extends to touch the end of the pack. A vacuum is created within the tube which holds the pack while the tube retracts, drawing the pack onto a carrier plate. Once the pack is on the plate, the robot tracks to the end of the unit and ejects it to a chute or conveyor.

Input to the Speedcase is a semi-automated process. The pack is first identified by its EAN bar-code using a scanner, then placed in the measuring unit where the pack dimensions are measured and compared with those already stored in the database. Once the pack’s identity and size are confirmed, it is taken into the machine by a holding conveyor where it waits until it is put away. The picking head takes the pack from the holding conveyor and transfers it to the allocated space on the shelving. The vacuum tube extends to push the pack a precise distance onto the shelf and the process is complete. The software always gives priority to picking for prescriptions, putting stock away at quieter moments. As the expiry date is registered in the database on pack entry this enables the software to check expiry dates.  

We have installed the robot dispensing system because it will increase the level of safety in the dispensary by reducing the possibility of picking errors. It also allows us to segregate the delivery area from the dispensing area which results in a better workflow which makes for a quieter more efficient dispensary. The main benefit of this is that it allows the pharmacists to get out of the dispensary to talk to people about their medicines. We have designed with pharmacy with three PODs (points of dispensing) which allows the pharmacist to dispense the prescription in front of you and allows you time to ask any questions you may have. 

In addition, we also have two private consultation rooms where you can have a conversation in private with any of our pharmacists about your medicines.

We hope that the ARX robot will create extra efficiencies to allow our pharmacists and support staff to best utilise their skills and engage in a range of enhanced services, with the ultimate aim to provide an even greater healthcare experience to you, our customers. 

You are very welcome to call in and see the robot in operation.