Embodied AI's journey into real-world industries rarely begins with a grand vision. More often, it starts with a practical question: Can a robot do this job? In healthcare, that question is already being explored through real-world applications.

Galaxea has partnered with Kunshu Xingqi (昆数星启), a participant in its Pioneer Partner Program, to deploy R1 Pro robots in real hospital environments. From operating rooms to patient wards, the collaboration explores how robots can take on a broader range of non-clinical tasks.

By starting with real-world applications, robots must navigate real environments, perform real tasks, and answer a more fundamental question: What can embodied AI actually accomplish in industry?

R1 Pro Enters Hospitals, Starting with Real Tasks

Healthcare professionals spend considerable time on non-clinical activities, many of which are repetitive and time-consuming. Postoperative cleaning, contaminated instrument inventory and transport, preoperative supply preparation, and ward inspections are all essential parts of daily hospital operations. These tasks also place demanding requirements on a robot's mobility, manipulation, and task execution capabilities.

Through its collaboration with Kunshu Xingqi, Galaxea's R1 Pro has entered real hospital workflows across operating rooms, instrument processing areas, and patient wards, undertaking tasks including contaminated instrument transport and routine ward inspections.

Transporting Contaminated Instruments, Surgical Drapes, and Medical Waste

Four R1 Pro robots have been deployed at the hospital to transport contaminated surgical instruments, completing transport tasks within one hour to ensure timely delivery from operating rooms and other areas to designated locations for subsequent processing.

Over the next month, their responsibilities are expected to expand to include contaminated surgical drapes and medical waste, supporting transport requirements associated with 20 operating rooms and approximately 130 surgeries per day.

Routine Ward Inspections

R1 Pro is already participating in routine ward inspections and information updates. With more than six hours of continuous operation per session, the robots can cover most daytime ward inspection activities.

Looking ahead, R1 Pro will explore additional tasks, including postoperative instrument counting, operating room cleaning and organization, and preoperative supply preparation.

Instrument counting is expected to cover an area of approximately 2,500 m² and involve around 4,000 counting tasks, moving beyond individual task validation toward frequent, repetitive operational workflows.

Preoperative supply preparation will involve dozens of categories of commonly used supplies and more than 100 product variants, further testing the robot's ability to recognize and handle materials across diverse categories and specifications.

Once a robot enters a hospital, it is no longer operating in a carefully controlled test environment. Different areas present different spatial constraints, while each task comes with its own operational requirements. From navigation and manipulation to task execution and workflow integration, R1 Pro must continuously adapt to the realities of hospital operations.

This is where the deeper value of the partnership lies.

Kunshu Xingqi contributes its understanding of healthcare environments and real operational needs, while Galaxea provides robotic hardware and embodied AI capabilities. Together, the two teams continuously refine and validate specific applications, enabling robots to move beyond isolated demonstrations and become part of actual hospital workflows.

To date, R1 Pro has been operating in these environments for nearly a month, completing hundreds of tasks. Challenges encountered during operation, task completion results, and feedback from hospital staff all provide valuable insights for further improving the applications.

What matters more than a successful demonstration is whether a robot can enter an industry, reliably perform a specific job over time, and gradually integrate into everyday operations.

Every real-world task successfully completed brings embodied AI one step closer to that goal.

Galaxea Pioneer Partner Program — Applications Now Open

Successfully deploying a robot in one real-world scenario is just the beginning. It also opens the door to many more possibilities.

The healthcare applications developed with Kunshu Xingqi demonstrate what becomes possible when robotic capabilities, industry expertise, and real operational needs come together.

And healthcare is only one of many opportunities. Manufacturing, logistics, commercial services, and countless other industries each present unique challenges. Different partners bring different environments, expertise, and perspectives.

Galaxea aims to connect with more pioneering partners, including organizations with capabilities in model applications and custom development, deep knowledge of specific industries and business requirements, or extensive industrial resources and project experience.

Based on each partner's needs, Galaxea will provide support across products, technology, industry resources, branding, and marketing. Together, we aim to bring embodied AI into real-world industries.

One partner. One new application.

Many partners. Endless possibilities.

In a rapidly evolving industry, going alone may be faster, but going together takes us further.

We look forward to working with you to define the next benchmark for real-world embodied AI applications.