A robot designed to eliminate life-threatening human medication errors is being used at Loyola University Hospital, Chicago.

The two-armed robot manufactured by Swisslog Healthcare Solutions, places single doses of medication in small plastic bags. Each bag has a bar code that identifies the drug. When the system is fully implemented, the nurse will scan the bar code on the medication bag, along with the bar code on the patient’s wrist band. If the computer detects it’s the wrong drug or wrong dose, a pop-up warning will appear and the computer will sound an alert.

The robot packages 3,200 medications, including tablets, capsules, vials, ampules and suppositories. It works around the clock.