Aethon Inc., which develops robots that deliver and track hospital equipment, raised $6.6 million in investment funding, according to a press release.
The Pittsburgh-based company intends to use the money to further develop its robotic products, expand sales and marketing efforts and break into the European market. About $5.2 million of the round comes from German firm Robert Bosch Venture Capital GmbH. The rest comes from existing investors, according to the statement.
Aethon’s TUG robot can be used by hospitals to deliver and track equipment and supplies such as dietary trays, medications, linens, blood samples, medical records, pharmacy drugs and IV pumps. Aethon says the TUG can negotiate hallways, elevators, automatic doors and narrow aisles with human traffic.
The robot uses radio frequency identification tags to track and locate equipment. More than 100 hospitals use the TUG, with most on the East Coast or in the Midwest.
CEO Aldo Zini called the investment “a significant milestone” for the company.
In 2008, Aethon raised $14 million, the Pittsburgh Business Times reported. The company has about 70 employees, according to the newspaper.
The company’s existing investors include Trident Capital, Pacific Venture Group, Salix Ventures, Ascension Health Ventures, Radius Ventures, Nexus Medical Partners and Medicis Capital GmbH, according to the press release.
Aethon was founded in 2001. Its name is taken from one of the four horses of ancient Greek mythology that pulls Helios’ chariot containing the sun across the sky each day.
