Ambyon ONE, the healthcare logistics robot that supports healthcare professionals, wins the second regional preliminary round of the National Healthcare Innovation Award. Willem-Jan Lamers, CEO and founder of Ambyon, talks about why the robot is a welcome and necessary healthcare colleague.
Ambyon ONE is an innovative healthcare robot on wheels that takes logistical tasks off the hands of healthcare professionals. Think of fetching and delivering medications, lab samples, food, disposables, small medical equipment, as well as beds (without a patient).
"These are all tasks that do not directly contribute to patient care. The more time you can spend with your patient, the better the quality of care," said Willem-Jan Lamers, CEO and founder of Ambyon.
Mistakes due to staff shortages
The seed for founding Ambyon was planted in 2012 when Lamers and his wife unexpectedly had to go to the hospital for the birth of their daughter. "The delivery went well, but because of too few staff, things went wrong in the aftercare. I wanted to research that problem."
After a long process of market research and exploring staffing issues, the first pilot started in late 2024, and the robot has since toured the Elkerliek Hospital, Radboudumc, Erasmus MC and AZ Voorkempen in Belgium.
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The effect of one robot
According to Ambyon, the deployment of one robot can already lead to a saving of 1.1 FTEs. Lamers: "The important thing is that these savings are not economized away, but rather released for patient care. So it really is a personal assistant to the healthcare professional."
Relieving the healthcare professional of logistical tasks can lead to less stress for the healthcare professional and that is needed. FromCentral Bureau of Statistics (CBS) survey.shows that five of the 10 professions with the most stress come from healthcare, such as pharmacy assistants, doctors and nurses. "Job satisfaction is under pressure and we need to do something about that," Lamers says.
Ambyon ONE sees and understands the hospital
The robot moves through halls, on wards and in elevators, interacting with staff, patients and visitors. The Ambyon ONE distinguishes itself from competitors by using 3D vision: cameras that 'understand' the world around the robot and anticipate it.
"If we are walking down a corridor and a door opens, we, as humans, know that there is a good chance that a person will come through that door. Our robot knows that too. It becomes alert and has three choices: stop, accelerate or go around it with a predictable and natural turn."
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Conditions for acceptance
This ability to understand is one of the crucial elements for robot acceptance among healthcare professionals, according to Lamers. "It's fine if a robot stands still for ten seconds, but a hospital gait is incredibly dynamic. If it chooses to stop at every move, then it is constantly standing still. That leads to frustration," Lamers says. "Care professionals then quickly fall back into old habits: walking themselves, and then the robot ends up in the broom closet."
Speed is also an issue. "If she walks slower than people, people get annoyed. If she walks too fast, then the robot is seen as intimidating."
In addition, an innovation is more quickly accepted and implemented if the environment does not have to change drastically.Lamers says: "Our vision is thenotneed to adapt the existing infrastructure. For example, the robot has a kind of arm that can push the buttons on the elevator so you don't have to make adjustments to that elevator. We adapt the robot to the environment, rather than the other way around."
The power of co-creation
Lamers emphasizes the importance and power of collaborating with hospitals. "Many problems are no longer seen as problems because it has been part of the remit for decades. But when you come in as an outsider, you do see those problems."
International dot on the horizon
Initially, Ambyon is keeping it close to home and focusing on the Netherlands and Belgium. "We need to be able to adjust quickly, and physical distance is decisive for that right now." Eventually, the horizon reaches further. "Our ambition is to go international, because this problem is in every Western country. Something really needs to be done."
Tip for starting healthcare entrepreneurs
For anyone who wants to start doing business in healthcare, Lamers has a clear message: "Wait to develop your technology, your prototype and everything you think you need to build. Start with market research and understand what's really going on in healthcare and infuse yourself with the end user's living environment."
About the National Care Innovation Award
In 2026Careinnovation.comfor the eleventh time the National Care Innovation Award for the most innovative care innovation in the scale-up phase. Participants have a chance to win the professional jury prize worth €10,000 and the public prize worth €5,000. They will also receive guidance in the further (further) development of their innovation.
Ambyon is in the final of the National Healthcare Innovation Award 2026 during the Health Valley event on March 12, 2026 in Nijmegen. The presentation of the national professional jury award and audience award is duringCare & icton April 15 at Jaarbeurs Utrecht.
