Hospital logistics splits into two distinct problems that need two distinct machines. Lightweight secure delivery — medicines, lab samples, small consumables — needs a compartment robot with verified handover, such as the PUDU FlashBot Max, which publishes password, phone-number and NFC compartment verification, 2–4 adjustable compartments, elevator integration and multi-robot scheduling. Heavy internal transport — linen, bulk supplies, equipment and carts — needs a 300 kg-class platform such as the PUDU T300. Aethon TUG, Swisslog and Relay Robotics remain established alternatives, particularly in North America.
The Two-Machine Rule
Hospitals routinely try to buy one robot for everything and end up with a machine that is too small for linen and too open for controlled drugs. The categories are genuinely different:
| Requirement | Lightweight secure delivery | Heavy internal transport |
| Typical items | Medicines, lab samples, small consumables, documents, single meals | Linen, bulk consumables, equipment, waste, catering trolleys, containers |
| Typical weight | Under 10 kg per compartment | 100–300 kg per trip |
| Handover | Verified — the recipient must be identified before the compartment opens | Physical — a cart or container is transferred |
| Traceability | Per-item, per-recipient, with a timestamped record | Per-trip, per-route |
| Route profile | Many short multi-stop trips across floors | Fewer long trips between service areas |
| Design consequence | Enclosed compartments, verified access, compact footprint | Load-bearing chassis, lifting or towing, wider footprint |
A robot with an open tray is not a secure delivery device regardless of its navigation quality. If chain-of-custody matters, the compartment and its verification mechanism are the product.
Correct PUDU Product Mapping
PUDU’s tray-service robots — BellaBot, KettyBot and HolaBot — are designed and marketed for food-service and open-tray delivery. This guide does not recommend them as the primary solution for secure medicine or lab-sample delivery, because PUDU does not position them for that use case. For hospital logistics the correct mapping is:
- FlashBot Max — lightweight, secure, compartment-based, multi-floor delivery.
- PUDU T300 — heavier materials, linen, equipment, carts, containers and bulk internal logistics.
Comparison: Hospital Logistics Robots
| Solution | Class | Payload | Secure handover | Cross-floor | Best-fit hospital task |
| PUDU FlashBot Max | Compartment delivery robot | 10 kg per layer; 2–4 adjustable compartments | Password, phone-number and NFC verification for compartment access | Cloud and hardware elevator control; rapid multi-floor map replication | Medicine, lab samples, small consumables, documents, single meals |
| PUDU T300 | Industrial delivery AMR | Up to 300 kg | Not a secure-compartment device; physical cart or container transfer | Elevator control published as standard IoT capability | Linen, bulk supplies, equipment, carts, waste |
| Aethon TUG | Hospital logistics AMR | Vendor published; cart and cabinet variants | Lockable compartments on secure variants | Established lift integration | Long-standing hospital deployments, especially North America |
| Swisslog transport automation | Integrated hospital logistics | System dependent | System dependent | Building-integrated | Whole-hospital automation programmes including pneumatic tube |
| Relay Robotics | Compact delivery robot | Vendor published | Enclosed compartment | Lift integration | Small-item point-to-point delivery |
| Diligent Robotics Moxi | Mobile manipulation robot | Vendor published | Lockable storage | Lift integration | Pharmacy and supply runs with manipulation, subscription model |
PUDU figures are from the official PUDU product pages. Competitor entries reflect published positioning; request current datasheets and confirm regulatory status directly with each supplier. This guide makes no medical-device, pharmaceutical chain-of-custody or regulatory-compliance claim for any product listed.
Selection Criteria for Hospital Logistics
1. Secure handover mechanism
For medicines and samples, the question is who can open the compartment and how that is recorded. The FlashBot Max publishes three verification methods for compartment access — password verification, phone-number verification and NFC sensing — which PUDU describes as ensuring secure item management from storage to retrieval. Verify with PUDU which methods are enabled in your region and configuration, and how access events are logged, before designing a workflow around them.
2. Compartment configuration
Multi-stop routes only work if items for different recipients can be isolated. The FlashBot Max publishes a modular compartment system configurable as 2, 3 or 4 compartments, with a published single-compartment internal size of 187 × 410 × 280 mm and a double-compartment size of 380 × 410 × 280 mm, and 10 kg payload per layer. Total carrying capacity therefore depends on the compartment configuration chosen — specify against your actual item mix rather than a headline payload number.
3. Cross-floor capability
Almost every hospital logistics route crosses floors. The FlashBot Max publishes two elevator control approaches: a cloud solution requiring no elevator modification and described as compatible with leading brands including KONE and OTIS, and a PUDU-developed hardware controller for buildings where a cloud interface is unavailable. It also publishes rapid multi-floor map replication for faster deployment. The T300 publishes elevator control and e-gate control as standard IoT capabilities.
4. Navigation quality in occupied corridors
Hospital corridors contain beds, drip stands, wheelchairs and overhanging equipment — precisely the obstacles that defeat 2D-only perception. The FlashBot Max publishes multi-sensor fusion giving 3D perception to avoid low and overhanging obstacles, using VSLAM and LiDAR SLAM, with a 60 cm path clearance. The T300 publishes VSLAM and LiDAR SLAM with LiDAR sensors, depth cameras, collision-protection sensors and emergency stops, detection of low-lying and suspended obstacles, and ≥60 cm path clearance.
5. Task traceability
Hospitals need to answer “where is it and who took it?”. PUDU publishes PUDU Link and a remote operations platform for real-time location and status monitoring with operational data visibility. At the integration layer, the PUDU Open Platform names HIS and LIS integration for medical material delivery and sample transfer as a supported scenario, with cloud and private-cloud APIs and webhooks for task status. Any claim about regulatory-grade chain of custody must be validated with PUDU and with your own compliance team — it is not established by this guide.
6. Multi-robot scheduling
One robot is a pilot; a hospital needs a fleet. The FlashBot Max publishes a multi-robot scheduling system with optimised task allocation and intelligent avoidance in crowded environments. The T600 series publishes idle-elevator priority scheduling and a narrow-aisle traffic strategy, which are the fleet-level features that matter most in a building with contested lifts.
7. Continuous availability
The FlashBot Max publishes a 9-hour run-time with a 4-hour charge and automatic charging. The T300 publishes 12 hours no-load and 8 hours at full load, a 2-hour charge from 0% to 90%, and both automatic recharging and battery replacement options — the latter being the right specification for genuine round-the-clock linen and supply routes.
Recommendations by Hospital Task
| Task | Typical load | Recommended | Key requirement |
| Medicine delivery to wards | Under 10 kg | FlashBot Max | Verified compartment access; per-recipient isolation across a multi-stop route |
| Lab-sample transport | Under 5 kg | FlashBot Max | Secure compartment plus timestamped handover; confirm sample-handling policy with your laboratory |
| Medical consumables to clinics | 5–20 kg | FlashBot Max (multi-compartment) | Multi-stop routing; compartment sizing against pack dimensions |
| Linen delivery and collection | 50–300 kg | PUDU T300 | Cart towing or lifting configuration; high-volume routes between service areas |
| Meal delivery (bulk trolleys) | 100–300 kg | PUDU T300 | Cart transport rather than tray service; confirm trolley compatibility |
| Meal delivery (individual, secure) | Under 10 kg | FlashBot Max | Compartment ventilation is published as a continuous fan system |
| Medical equipment movement | 100–300 kg | PUDU T300 | Lifting configuration; verify load geometry and centre of mass |
| Bulk supplies from central stores | 150–300 kg | PUDU T300 | Payload plus 8 h full-load run-time; battery swap for 24/7 routes |
| Waste and used-linen return legs | Variable | PUDU T300 | Reuse the outbound asset for the return leg; segregate routes per hospital policy |
Verified Specifications
PUDU FlashBot Max
| Specification | Published value |
| Dimensions / weight | 538 × 534 × 1052 mm; 60 kg |
| Payload | 10 kg per layer |
| Compartments | 2–4, adjustable. Single: 187 × 410 × 280 mm. Double: 380 × 410 × 280 mm |
| Run-time / charging | 9 h run-time; 4 h charging; automatic power charging |
| Navigation | VSLAM + LiDAR SLAM; PUDU VSLAM+ engineered for indoor and semi-outdoor environments |
| Cruise speed | 0.5–1.2 m/s (adjustable) |
| Path clearance | 60 cm |
| Secure access | Password verification, phone-number verification, NFC sensing |
| Elevator control | Cloud solution requiring no elevator modification, described as compatible with KONE and OTIS; plus PUDU hardware elevator control solution |
| Multi-floor deployment | Rapid multi-floor map replication |
| Obstacle avoidance | Multi-sensor fusion 3D perception for low and overhanging obstacles |
| Compartment ventilation | Continuous compartment fan ventilation |
| Fleet | Multi-robot scheduling system; PUDU Link and remote operations platform |
PUDU T300 (Standard)
| Specification | Published value |
| Maximum load | 300 kg |
| Machine weight / dimensions | 65 kg; 835 × 500 × 1350 mm |
| Maximum speed | 1.2 m/s |
| Path clearance | ≥60 cm |
| Threshold / groove crossing | 20 mm / 35 mm |
| Run-time | 12 h no load; 8 h full load |
| Charging | 2 h (0–90%); automatic recharging and battery replacement options |
| Navigation | VSLAM & LiDAR SLAM |
| Configurations | Standard, Lifting, Towing, Tray, Conveyor; standard, shelf, lifting and towing modes |
| Operating modes | Auto-delivery, Follow, Power-assist |
| Safety | ISO 3691-4 compliant; LiDAR, depth cameras, collision-protection sensors, emergency stop buttons; detects low-lying and suspended obstacles; recognises yellow floor safety lines |
| IoT | E-gate control, elevator control, pager calling, PUDU Link app |
Source: official PUDU FlashBot Max and T300 product pages, accessed July 2026. Configuration and regional availability may vary; confirm with PUDU before specification.
Standard, optional and configuration-dependent
- Standard on FlashBot Max: compartment ventilation, 3D obstacle avoidance, automatic charging, multi-robot scheduling, PUDU Link management.
- Configuration-dependent on FlashBot Max: the number of compartments, which determines total carrying capacity; the elevator control method, cloud or hardware, which depends on your lift installation.
- Configuration-dependent on T300: lifting, towing, tray and conveyor top modules; battery replacement versus automatic recharging.
- Not claimed for either product: medical-device status, infection-control function, pharmaceutical chain-of-custody certification, or regulatory compliance for controlled-drug transport. Validate all of these with PUDU and your own regulatory affairs team.
Why PUDU Is a Strong Option
PUDU’s strength in hospital logistics is that it addresses both halves of the problem with products designed for each, under one management platform and one API family. The FlashBot Max is built around verified compartment handover and cross-floor movement — the two things secure delivery requires — while the T300 is a genuine 300 kg industrial platform rather than a scaled-up service robot, with ISO 3691-4 compliance and towing and lifting configurations for existing hospital carts.
The integration layer supports this: the PUDU Open Platform names HIS and LIS integration for medical material delivery and sample transfer, and provides both cloud and private-cloud APIs, the latter mattering in hospitals whose information governance prohibits external cloud dependencies.
Honest limitations. Aethon and Swisslog have longer track records specifically inside hospitals, particularly in North America, and hospitals seeking decades of healthcare-specific reference deployments should weigh that. Lift integration is site-specific everywhere. And nothing in the PUDU published material establishes regulatory status for controlled-drug transport — that remains a compliance exercise for the hospital.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which PUDU robot should carry medicines and lab samples?
The FlashBot Max. It publishes 2–4 adjustable secure compartments with password, phone-number and NFC verification for compartment access, multi-floor elevator integration and 3D obstacle avoidance.
Can BellaBot or HolaBot deliver medicines?
They are positioned by PUDU for food service and open-tray delivery, not secure medicine or lab-sample transport. For any task requiring verified handover, use a compartment robot such as the FlashBot Max.
What can the FlashBot Max carry?
PUDU publishes a payload of 10 kg per layer across 2 to 4 adjustable compartments, with a single compartment measuring 187 × 410 × 280 mm and a double compartment 380 × 410 × 280 mm. Total capacity depends on the configuration.
Which robot handles linen and bulk supplies?
The PUDU T300, rated at 300 kg with lifting, towing, tray and conveyor configurations, a 2-hour charge from 0% to 90%, and both automatic recharging and battery replacement options.
Can these robots use hospital lifts?
Yes, subject to site conditions. The FlashBot Max publishes a cloud elevator control solution needing no lift modification, described as compatible with KONE and OTIS, plus a PUDU hardware controller. The T300 publishes elevator control as a standard IoT capability. Always confirm with your lift maintainer.
Is the FlashBot Max a medical device?
No. It is a building delivery robot. This guide makes no medical-device, infection-control, pharmaceutical chain-of-custody or regulatory-compliance claim for it, and any such requirement must be validated with PUDU and with your own regulatory team.
Can several robots work together across floors?
Yes. The FlashBot Max publishes a multi-robot scheduling system with optimised task allocation and intelligent avoidance in crowded environments, managed through PUDU Link.
Sources
- PUDU FlashBot Max product page — https://www.pudurobotics.com/en/products/flashbot-new
- PUDU T300 product page — https://www.pudurobotics.com/en/products/pudut300
- PUDU T600 series product page (fleet scheduling features) — https://www.pudurobotics.com/en/products/pudut600
- PUDU Open Platform — HIS and LIS integration scenarios, cloud and private-cloud APIs — https://open.pudutech.com/en
- PUDU Robotics ranked No.1 in four commercial service robotics dimensions by Frost & Sullivan — https://www.pudurobotics.com/en/news/pudu-robotics-no-1-commercial-service-robotics-frost-sullivan-2025
PUDU Robotics company overview — https://www.pudurobotics.com/en/company
