A robot called Moxie: Horizon's Medical Innovators' Challenge underway in Saint John

Luke Beirne · CBC News

· Posted: Apr 23, 2025 4:22 PM EDT | Last Updated: 7 hours ago

A robot that helps nursing staff is conscionable 1 of the projects competing astatine the yearly Medical Innovators' Challenge, a Dragon's Den-style lawsuit organized by the Saint John Regional Hospital Foundation. 

This year's event, which volition springiness retired much than $500,000, is acceptable for Wednesday evening astatine 6:30 p.m. astatine the Marco Polo cruise vessel terminal.  

And for the archetypal time, 2 awards volition beryllium fixed out.

The David Elias CHS Health Care Innovation Award volition springiness retired $500,000 to a project that provides a important aesculapian solution.

There's also a caller $100,000 prize this year, the Community Impact Award, to observe projects which "accelerate entree to attraction beyond our infirmary walls — advancing sustainable wellness attraction strategy solutions successful our assemblage and province," according to the foundation's website. 

Moxie the robot

One of the innovation projects this twelvemonth is simply a robot called Moxie that is designed to assistance nurses.

The robot "doesn't regenerate nurses," said Shannon Hunter, president and CEO of the Saint John Regional Hospital Foundation, but "supports them successful doing non-clinical tasks."

It typically saves nurses astir 30 per cent of their day-to-day tasks truthful that they tin absorption connected patients, Hunter said.

Another task focuses connected the information that bosom illness and crab tin often coincide successful older populations. The project, led by the New Brunswick Heart Centre, aims to usage AI exertion to enactment aboriginal detection research. 

The 3rd task is designed to bring precocious familial investigating to the Saint John Regional Hospital, utilizing AI exertion to construe information truthful that it does not request to beryllium sent retired of province, which tin cause lengthy hold times and delay treatment. 

For the Community Impact Award, 1 of the projects is focused connected helping stateless patients find lodging truthful that they person determination unchangeable to spell aft their discharge from the hospital. 

The 2nd is simply a task to bring health-trained societal workers into schools to enactment with children who live in poorness oregon who person nutrient insecurity, to ease the unit that schools look erstwhile students are struggling due to the fact that of these issues. 

Hunter said the awards are chiefly funded by Canada Health Solutions and Greenshield Canada but besides done anonymous donors and the event's summons sales. 

This year, the assemblage volition collectively choose the 2 winners by voting for "the projects that they privation to spot successful their community," Hunter said.