Advancing Robotics and AI in Healthcare with OhmniLabs

I first used OhmniLabs technology in my own factory. That experience led to work on distribution, healthcare demonstrations and government-market opportunities. It also put me on the other side of a familiar question: how do you help someone decide whether a new technology will actually work in their organization?

Historical collaboration · 2023–2024

Starting with a Robot in the Factory

At Ravenox, we used an Ohmni telepresence robot we called RopeBot. Team members in different locations could see the manufacturing operation and talk with the people working there.

I had a practical reason to be interested in the technology. We were running a factory with a geographically dispersed team, and staying connected to the work mattered. Using the robot gave me a better understanding of where telepresence could be useful and what people needed from it during an ordinary working day.

From Using the Product to Working with the Manufacturer

In 2023, I began working with OhmniLabs on distribution and commercialization. We developed the relationship in March and announced the partnership in April. The work included commercial channels and healthcare opportunities for products such as OhmniClean.

OhmniClean was a UV-C disinfection robot intended for use in environments such as healthcare facilities. It was a different product from the telepresence robot we used at Ravenox, with a different job to do and different questions for a buyer to answer.

I worked with the manufacturer on product positioning, buyer requirements and distribution responsibilities. My factory experience gave me a starting point, but I still had to learn the healthcare use case on its own terms.

Getting Close to the Healthcare Work

I spent time with the product in healthcare environments, took part in demonstrations and talked with people about their operating needs. That meant learning the system well enough to explain it and working with OhmniLabs on the technical questions that came up.

Showing the product was only part of the conversation. I also needed to understand who would use it, how it would fit into the facility's routines and how the organization would make a purchasing decision.

Those questions kept the work grounded. Interest in robotics didn't automatically mean a facility had a need, a budget or a workable plan for putting the product into use. My role was to help connect the technology with those practical decisions.

Working Through Government Requirements

Government healthcare was one part of the broader market-development effort. I researched opportunities involving the Department of Veterans Affairs and its regional Veterans Integrated Service Networks. I also worked through GSA and Federal Supply Schedule considerations, product classifications and compliance questions.

For proposal work, I read requirements, coordinated with OhmniLabs and helped prepare responses using the manufacturer's technical material. The job was to connect what the product could offer with what a particular buyer was asking for.

That was opportunity research and proposal support. I don't count a prepared or submitted bid as a contract win, and I don't claim a government robotics award from this work.

What I Learned About Adoption

The work moved from using telepresence at Ravenox to developing a distribution relationship, introducing products in healthcare settings and contributing to government proposals. Each step required a different understanding of the customer.

I learned to spend as much time on the purchasing and operating questions as on the demonstration. Who needs the product? Who decides whether to buy it? What would have to happen before people could use it in their daily work?

I bring that habit into my consulting at North Ember today, including work involving AI and emerging technology. I start with the problem people are trying to solve. If I can't explain how a tool fits the way their organization works, I need to understand the situation better before recommending it.

A Note on Timing

This account covers my work in 2023–2024. The original Ohmni telepresence product was discontinued in August 2024, and OhmniLabs was acquired by Symbotic in December 2024. I'm describing the products and relationship from that period.

Further Reading

• OhmniLabs manufacturing use cases
• OhmniLabs government partners
• Original partnership announcement

Related Work

• OhmniLabs in Selected Work
• Ravenox manufacturing
• Federal contracting experience
• My current practice at North Ember