Relay Robotics Expands BayCare Partnership with New Autonomous Delivery Robots at Winter Haven Hospitals

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Relay Robotics, a global leader in autonomous hospital delivery solutions, announced the expansion of its partnership with BayCare Health System through the deployment of two new Relay Robots, "Stork" and "Miles," at Winter Haven Hospital and Winter Haven Women's Hospital.

This deployment adds to BayCare's growing fleet, supporting clinical care teams by automating the transport of lab specimens and medications and addressing the rising operational demands on staff. Building on the successful 2025 integration at St. Anthony's Hospital, this expansion formalizes BayCare's commitment to healthcare automation at scale as a real solution to the national nursing shortage.

What This Means for Healthcare Operations

The integration of autonomous delivery robots into hospital workflows directly mitigates staff burnout. By transitioning "delivery-runner" tasks to Relay Robots, hospitals can recover thousands of clinical hours annually. This shift allows nurses to practice at the top of their licenses, staying focused on critical patient outcomes rather than on logistical tasks.

How It Works

Relay Robots use advanced LiDAR and 3D computer vision to navigate complex hospital environments. Authorized users swipe a badge to load deliverables in the high-security, lockable bins, and then tell the robot where to go. The robots autonomously navigate the hospital, interacting with elevators, secure badge-access doors, and hallway traffic without human intervention. 

Key Capabilities & Use Cases

Relay Robots are optimized for high-frequency, high-stakes hospital environments.

• Autonomous Lab Delivery: Stork (at Winter Haven Women's Hospital) manages 24/7 specimen transport from Urgent Care to the 2nd-floor laboratory.
• Medication & Supply Transport: Miles (at Winter Haven Hospital) bridges gaps in wings lacking pneumatic tube systems, delivering pharmacy orders and clinical supplies.
• Cross-Floor Navigation: Full integration with elevator systems to cover multi-floor facilities.

What Makes Relay Robotics Different

• Reliability: Relay robots have over 99% delivery reliability and proprietary technology that enables the most reliable elevator navigation in the industry.
• Sterile-Ready Design: Contact-free operation and easy-to-sanitize surfaces for infection control.
• Infrastructure Light Navigation Guidance: Requires no physical tracks or facility modifications.

Performance Metrics & Validation

• Operational Impact: Collectively, the Winter Haven robots are projected to complete 500+ deliveries per month.
• Nursing ROI: Estimated savings of 150+ clinical hours per month, collectively.
• Historical Success: The St. Anthony's 2025 pilot achieved a 99.8% delivery success rate across 50 deliveries per day.

Frequently Asked Questions

What are Relay Robots, and how do they work in hospitals?

Relay Robots are autonomous delivery vehicles that transport lab specimens, medications, and supplies. They use sensors to avoid obstacles and can independently call elevators and open electronic doors to reach their destination.

How do Relay Robots improve nursing efficiency?

By handling routine transport tasks, the robots save each nurse significant time. Hospitals using Relay robots see average monthly time savings of over 150 hours—the equivalent of 15 10-hour shifts. This time is redirected to direct patient care, which is shown to improve nurse retention and patient safety. 

Can Relay Robots navigate elevators independently?

Yes. Relay's proprietary software integrates directly with elevator controllers, allowing the robots to move between floors without human assistance. 

How do Relay Robots compare to pneumatic tube systems?

Unlike tubes, Relay Robots can carry larger, fragile items (like certain blood products or large IV bags) that may not fit in the tubes or could be damaged by high-speed air transport. The robots also require much less physical disruption, including zero wall construction.

What is the implementation timeline for a Relay Robot?

A typical hospital deployment, including integration hardware work, floor mapping, and staff training, takes approximately 12 weeks; onsite install time is 1-2 weeks.

Executive Perspective

"BayCare is a high-authority partner who is committed to investing in innovation to improve operational and staffing challenges. Their experience with Relay robots validates the ROI we are seeing across the field, and now, with a full fleet of robots, they can deliver even greater impact to their care teams and patients. We are thrilled to support and share in their success."

— Sultan Mehrabi, CEO, Relay Robotics