Robots in the hospital: from the operating room to gait rehabilitation

Robotic surgery as the benchmark

In an operation with the da Vinci 5 system and its predecessors, the surgeon sits at a console and guides thin instruments through small incisions, while an assistant at the table changes the instruments. In January 2024, da Vinci operations were performed in Poland at 43 centers (OSOZ).

That is the strongest proof that a robot in a hospital is not a gadget. Less visible is a second, quieter front: gait rehabilitation, logistics, disinfection and the first trials with reception robots. On this page we separate what works today from what is only appearing.

The starting point in Poland

The Polish health care system struggles with a shortage of staff, and robotic surgery has grown very fast in recent years. We describe the details in “da Vinci Robots in Polish Hospitals”. NFZ reimbursement of robotic prostate cancer surgery began in April 2023 and in August 2023 was extended to endometrial and colorectal cancer (OSOZ); in 2024 the NFZ financed nearly 11,000 robotic oncology operations (Alert Medyczny). In January 2024, da Vinci operations were performed at 43 centers (OSOZ), and at the end of 2025 Poland had 83 da Vinci systems (Synektik).

According to data for 2023, robotic procedures already accounted for 55% of all prostate cancer operations in Poland (OSOZ). That figure shows the robot is not a niche here but the standard in oncological urology.

What robots in the hospital can really do today

Surgery. The da Vinci handles more than 50 types of urological procedures, more than 80 general surgery procedures and about 20 in gynecology (Alert Medyczny). Competition is growing: the Versius is a modular system with V-Wrist arms, approved for use in Europe, Australia and Brazil (CMR Surgical); the Hugo (Medtronic) and the Chinese Edge Medical are also entering the Polish market. The price of the da Vinci 5 is not public.

Rehabilitation. Rehabilitation exoskeletons let a patient after a spinal cord injury or stroke stand up and take steps. The EksoNR is one of the best-known systems of this kind and has FDA clearance for stroke, brain injury, MS and spinal cord injury rehabilitation (Ekso Bionics). The LokomatPro is a different kind of device: a stationary treadmill gait training system, with more than 1,000 installations worldwide according to the manufacturer (Hocoma). The Atalante X is a self-balancing exoskeleton without crutches (Wandercraft), and the ReStore Exo-Suit is a soft exoskeleton for gait rehabilitation after stroke (Lifeward). Prices are not public; sales are through individual offers to facilities. Details in “Exoskeletons in Rehabilitation and Industry” and in the category “Exoskeletons”.

Logistics. The Diligent Moxi 2.0 carries samples, drugs and supplies in American hospitals; the manufacturer claims more than a million deliveries (The Robot Report). According to the manufacturer it works in more than 25 US hospitals (Diligent Robotics). It has no confirmed availability in Poland today, and the manufacturer sells mainly by fleet. For simpler tasks, such as transporting supplies, mobile robots from the category “Mobile robots (AMR)” serve.

Reception and telepresence. The temi V3 is a reception and telepresence robot from USD 4,499 (about PLN 17,400 (≈ EUR 3,980 at NBP rate 4.3716 of 20 October 2026)) or from USD 125 a month under RaaS (RobotLAB). We have not confirmed availability in Poland or support in hospitals.

What robots in the hospital will not do

A surgical robot does not operate on its own. The surgeon guides every movement, and the system only scales and stabilizes it. It requires long training of surgeons and of the whole team, as shown by the fact that in January 2024 Poland had 108 certified surgeons across 43 centers (OSOZ).

An exoskeleton does not treat on its own: it is a tool in the hands of a trained physiotherapist. Not every patient qualifies; the EksoNR, for example, has limits on age (18 and over), body weight (under about 100 kg) and height (about 152–193 cm). Logistics and reception robots will not replace a nurse at the bedside, and we know of no deployments of robots in direct care in Poland.

With robots that have a camera and microphone, patient data must be kept in mind; “Data Security: Robots with Cameras and the GDPR” explains what to watch for.

Examples from Poland

In Kraków, the Rydygier hospital announced in July 2026 its 1,000th operation with the da Vinci; the program began in October 2023, and the system is used there in four specialties: urology, gynecology, general surgery and otolaryngology (Tygodnik Medyczny). The hospital is considering buying a second robot because one system serves four departments.

How to buy

Hospitals buy surgical robots through tenders, usually directly from the manufacturer or its representative. Rehabilitation exoskeletons are offered in Poland by specialist medical equipment sellers and prices are individual. For reception and logistics robots the model is sometimes different: leasing or RaaS. Before you sign a contract, ask for answers to four questions: who services the equipment in Poland, how quickly they respond, how much consumables cost and how staff training is to be billed.

The last point is especially important: a system is not just a purchase, but also service, consumables and a trained team.

Costs and funding

The average da Vinci operation is about PLN 30,000 (≈ EUR 6,860), in complex cases up to PLN 60,000 (≈ EUR 13,720) (Alert Medyczny), financed in public hospitals mainly by the NFZ under oncology programs. Poland's robotization tax relief (ulga na robotyzację, see “Poland's Robotization Tax Relief”; podatki.gov.pl) applies to industrial robots and CIT/PIT taxpayers, so it is not a funding route for a public hospital; a private clinic should ask an adviser whether given equipment qualifies. Other programs (KPO, FENG, NCBR) are covered in the section on funding.

Bottom line

A robot in a hospital makes sense where it replaces a hand a person lacks, not where it would replace the person. The da Vinci is already part of the infrastructure, exoskeletons are entering rehabilitation, and logistics and reception are only getting started, mainly outside Poland. When buying, look at service, training and total cost, not the brochure. If you want more context: what a robot does in a production plant is described in “Factories and manufacturing”, and you can read about the terms used on this page in “Robotics Glossary: 65 Terms with Polish Equivalents”. You can browse the choice of exoskeletons in exoskeletons.