Looking at Aethon TUG? Talk to us first.
One company scopes the job, picks the machine, leases it, deploys it and services it.
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Updated October 2026
Aethon TUG is an autonomous robot that hauls medications, meals, linens and samples inside hospitals. Service Robot Co. is a different kind of company. We pick the right machine for indoor delivery, lease it on a 3-year lease with a $1 buyout, deploy it, train your crew and service it.
What is Aethon TUG?
KFF Health News described TUG robots in 2016 as little flatbed trucks that ferry carts of food, linens, medications and waste around a hospital. It cited Aethon, of Pittsburgh, as the maker. Source
Service Robot Co. is not affiliated with Aethon TUG, and this page is not from Aethon TUG.
What should a hospital plan for?
Outside sources, quoted and linked. Check each point on your own sites.
TechCrunch reported in April 2022 that Cynerio researchers found five vulnerabilities in the base servers that control Aethon robots, and that lead researcher Asher Brass warned the flaws required a “very low skill set for exploitation”
The same report says Aethon fixed the issues in software and firmware updates, and does not say whether the flaws were exploited.
In a 2016 KFF Health News story, UCSF NICU nurse Mardi Thompson said she had seen the robots run into computers, glass doors and each other, and that over the past year they had gotten better. This is one nurse’s dated account.
Where does it fit on your site?
What does hospital hauling involve?
KFF Health News describes TUG robots hauling carts of food, linens, medications and waste around a hospital. That job needs cart-towing hardware and hospital system integration. We do not sell hospital cart-towing, so if you need that, go to the maker. If your need is lighter indoor delivery, we can scope it. Define the load and the route first. Bring facilities, nursing and IT to the same table early. Source
What does IT need to plan for?
TechCrunch reported Cynerio found five vulnerabilities in the base servers that control Aethon robots, and Aethon fixed them in updates. Any hospital robot sits on your network and rides your elevators. Ask who owns patching, how the robots are segmented and how fast the vendor responds to disclosures. Bring IT into the conversation from day one. Document the answers, because they decide whether your security team signs off. Source
What do staff keep?
Nurses and techs keep patient care. The robot moves supplies, and people handle exceptions. KFF’s story quotes one nurse saying the robots are helpful and also a pain, and that they improved over a year. Expect a learning period and plan staff communication for it. Tell units in advance when robots will arrive, which routes they will use and who to call. Staff who know what to expect treat a stalled robot as a minor issue rather than a crisis, and a clear escalation path keeps small problems from growing. Source
Where does an integrator help?
If your need is lighter indoor delivery rather than cart towing, we scope the route, elevators and doors with facilities and IT before choosing a machine, lease it on a 3-year lease with a $1 buyout, deploy it, train your crew and service it. If you need hospital cart towing, we will say so at the assessment and point you to the maker.
Why talk to an integrator first?
Going direct to one maker gets you that maker’s machine. Service Robot Co. starts from your site instead. We pick the right machine for it, lease it to you, deploy it, train your team and service it. One company owns the result.
Integrator, dealer or buying direct: how they compareHow does the lease work?
A 3-year lease with a $1 buyout at the end. You see the terms before you commit.
Assess
A free site assessment of the floors, routes and hours you want to cover. We look at the layout, the people and the work.
Lease
We pick the right machine for your site and quote a 3-year lease with a $1 buyout at the end.
Deploy and train
We map the site, set the routes and no-go areas and train your team to run the robot day to day.
Service
One number when something stops. Support, service engineers, check visits and a warranty are listed below.
What should you ask before you sign?
Ask these of Aethon TUG, of us, or of anyone selling you a robot.
- Who owns patch updates, and how fast are they delivered?
- How are the robots segmented from clinical networks?
- How are elevator and door integrations handled and maintained?
- What happens when two robots stall?
- Who services the robots on site, and how fast?
- What if the maker changes hands again?
- Who owns the data the robots collect, including camera data?
- Can I switch machines if the fit is wrong?
RoboCare™
Service nationwide.
- 24/7 support.
- 10-minute technical-specialist triage.
- Regional service engineers in every state we service.
- 3 check visits a year.
- 12-month warranty.
Who should go direct to Aethon TUG instead?
Going direct is the right call for some buyers. We would rather say so than take a lease that does not fit.
- You need hospital-specific cart towing. We do not sell that, so go to the maker.
- Your hospital already has a vendor relationship and IT team set up for these robots.
- You want to own network segmentation and firmware updates directly with the maker.
- If no robot fits your site yet, we will say so at the assessment.
Common questions
Start with a free site assessment.
Tell us the site and the job. We walk it, tell you which robot fits and quote the lease before you commit.
Find the robot that fits your site.
Free site assessment. We tell you what actually works before you spend a dollar.