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As aging societies accelerate in developed countries, the demand for medical services is increasing explosively, while the workforce to handle this demand is insufficient. This imbalance in workforce supply and demand leads to a decline in the quality of medical services and burnout among medical staff. Although digital transformation in the medical field, such as electronic medical records (EMR) and patient management systems, has helped improve hospital administrative efficiency, core tasks within hospitals like drug dispensing and administration, and surgeries still rely heavily on the physical labor of skilled medical personnel. However, Pharmarobotics is gaining attention in the industry by addressing these challenges with its automated injection drug dispensing robot solution.



Pharmarobotics is a company that researches and develops automated injection drug dispensing robots used in hospitals. By combining physical artificial intelligence (Physical AI) technology with the concept of robotics-based industrial site automation, the goal is to enhance the safety and efficiency of hospital operations. Most importantly, they emphasize that the introduction of automated dispensing robots will prevent drug overdoses and infection accidents, thereby improving the working environment on site. How did Pharmarobotics aim to introduce artificial intelligence and robotics technology into the hospital environment? A conversation was held with Yoo Je-cheong, CEO of Pharmarobotics.

Finding Answers in Inefficient Medical Environments

“The shortage of skilled personnel is a major issue in hospitals in Korea and other major developed countries. While software automation is widely adopted in hospitals, there are hardly any solutions that physically automate hospital tasks. While contemplating hospital task automation, we identified the difficulties and inefficiencies in the injection drug dispensing process. This led to the founding of Pharmarobotics to innovate hospital operations starting with the automation of injection drug dispensing.”

CEO Yoo Je-cheong identified the inefficiencies in hospital operations and established Pharmarobotics with the goal of automating medical tasks. With over 30 years of experience in the medical device field, CEO Yoo embarked on the development of equipment for 'injection drug dispensing.' The idea is that automating the injection drug dispensing process allows nurses to focus on their primary duty of patient care.

Core drugs such as antibiotics and anticancer drugs are dispensed based on a doctor’s prescription according to the patient’s condition. However, core drugs are prone to deterioration in liquid form and incur high logistics costs, so they are supplied in freeze-dried powder form. Since powdered drugs cannot be administered directly to patients, hospitals undergo a reconstitution process of diluting and mixing the drugs just before administration. According to CEO Yoo, large hospitals require about 300 to 500 injections per ward per day, with nursing staff dedicating about 2 to 3 hours a day to drug preparation.

The problem is that there are several risk factors and inefficiencies in the drug preparation process. Although injection drug dispensing is a simple repetitive task, it demands the same level of concentration and skill as the primary duties of nurses. The time allocated to drug dispensing accumulates fatigue and inevitably reduces the time available for patient care. The psychological pressure to mix drugs in exact doses can lead to mistakes. Automated injection drug dispensing robots prevent nurse errors and create an environment where they can focus on patient care.

CEO Yoo stated, “By introducing automated injection drug dispensing robots, the time nurses spend on dispensing-related tasks can be reduced by about 90% per ward (50 beds). The larger the hospital, the greater the cost-saving effect from improved work efficiency.”

Pioneering a New Market with 'Artificial Intelligence and Robotics'

According to CEO Yoo, there are no solutions similar to automated injection drug dispensing robots in the market. While there are anticancer drug dispensing robots, they are not automated and require pharmacists to manually control robotic arms to dispense drugs, focusing on safety from toxic substances rather than efficiency. Anticancer drug dispensing robots take about 3 to 5 minutes per drug, whereas Pharmarobotics’ automated injection drug dispensing robots complete drug dispensing in seconds, which is a distinguishing factor.

Additionally, Pharmarobotics has miniaturized its robots to operate in confined spaces such as wards, operating rooms, and intensive care units, rather than central pharmacies. The intention is to enhance work efficiency by immediately dispensing drugs in spaces where injection drug dispensing is needed.



The drug preparation process is simple yet systematic. Nurses load up to 20 vials into the machine. The AI robot then rotates the vials, scans the barcodes, and cross-checks with the prescription transmission system data. This is to verify that the correct medication for the patient is accurately inserted into the equipment. If there are no issues, drug preparation proceeds. The drug preparation process is recorded with timestamps and linked to a specific nurse operator identified through card tagging (near-field recognition). Finally, patient information, drug name, and dosage are printed on the syringe.

Drug preparation utilizes the hospital’s drug information database. Analyzing the drug information database and overseeing all tasks related to dispensing is the role of artificial intelligence. This is necessary to verify the accuracy of the drug dosage prescribed to the patient. For example, if a drug previously prescribed at 10 milliliters (ml) is now prescribed at 20 milliliters, a warning is displayed on the device screen, prompting the nurse to reconfirm with the doctor.

The automated injection drug dispensing robot receives prescription data directly from the hospital’s Order Communication System (OCS). The key is that it adopts a one-way data input structure, considering the security-sensitive hospital environment. The robot only receives data prescribed by doctors and does not send data to the hospital system.

Aiming for a Hospital Automation Platform, 'Automating 20% of Total Hospital Tasks'

Pharmarobotics is expanding collaboration with domestic and international medical institutions, gaining recognition for its capabilities. In 2024, it signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with a Singapore medical institution, opening the possibility of entering overseas markets. It also signed an MOU for Proof of Concept (PoC) with Korea University Guro Hospital, laying the groundwork for technology demonstration and user verification in domestic medical settings.

Investment activities have also been actively pursued. In January 2025, it secured a foundation for establishing a mass production system by signing an MOU for an investment attraction worth KRW 17.5 billion with Jeonbuk Special Self-Governing Province and Jeonju City. In March 2025, after completing corporate research institute and venture company certifications, it joined the Ministry of SMEs and Startups’ DIPS 1000+ project and TIPS program. Additionally, it secured funding for technology development through a KRW 2 billion R&D loan support from the Ministry of Trade, Industry, and Energy’s National Advanced Strategy Loan Project.

Pharmarobotics is currently a resident company at the Seoul Startup Center Dongjak, operated by the Seoul Business Agency. The center has facilitated meetings and networking opportunities with investors, providing opportunities to showcase Pharmarobotics’ technological capabilities. It also assisted in participating in various mentoring programs and investment attraction programs for early-stage startups. CEO Yoo stated, “The various programs at the Seoul Startup Center Dongjak have been very helpful not only in the technical aspects of Pharmarobotics but also in business operations and strategic direction setting. It has been an opportunity to widely promote Pharmarobotics’ technological capabilities and business model, making it easier to approach investors and partners.”

However, Pharmarobotics faces challenges amidst rapid growth, particularly legal regulations and product mass production. As a ‘convergence medical device’ involving hardware, software, and pharmaceuticals, the approval process is complex. In Korea, convergence medical products with pharmaceuticals as the primary function follow the pharmaceutical approval process, while those with medical devices as the primary function follow a separate approval process. The process requires evaluation against Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP) standards, which are essential for ensuring device safety but are complex and time-consuming.

Mass-producing automated injection drug dispensing robots and entering the market is also a concern for Pharmarobotics. Creating prototypes and establishing a mass production system while maintaining quality are entirely different challenges. Since medical devices are directly related to patient safety, securing facilities that meet strict medical device manufacturing and quality management standards is essential. This process requires significant capital investment, which can be burdensome for startups, with costs ranging from tens to hundreds of billions of KRW.

To address these challenges, Pharmarobotics is making various efforts. It is overcoming detailed regulations for automated injection drug dispensing robots by having team members with extensive experience in medical device development and approval. It plans to actively utilize external investments and government loans for product mass production.



Pharmarobotics has also presented a blueprint for sustainable growth. The first step is to establish medical device approval and on-site demonstration projects for the first-generation product. After completing medical device approval, it plans to collect operational data from partner hospitals, identify areas for improvement, and concretize the business model for the initial mass production stage.

The second step is to launch a second-generation product that reflects hospital data and on-site feedback, and to embark on full-scale market expansion. The goal is to achieve a level of medium-scale mass production capability that allows stable product supply to domestic hospitals. Pharmarobotics plans to successfully establish its automated injection drug dispensing robots in the domestic medical market, increase brand recognition, and create a stable revenue structure.

Finally, it aims to expand its business to hospitals in developed countries worldwide and diversify its product lineup. Pharmarobotics intends to provide an integrated solution that encompasses all cycles of injection-related tasks within hospitals. CEO Yoo stated, “We will strive to automate about 20% of the entire hospital operations with various solutions such as injection robots, IV bag dispensing robots, anticancer drug dispensing robots, radiopharmaceutical dispensing robots, and injection logistics robots.”

To achieve its goals, Pharmarobotics plans to maintain its management philosophy of ‘User First’ while accelerating the development of automation solutions to solve problems in hospital settings. CEO Yoo stated, “Although we have achieved many accomplishments so far, Pharmarobotics still holds the same passion as in the early days of its founding. We aim to grow into a global medical company through various hospital automation solutions.”

IT Donga Reporter Kang Hyung-seok (redbk@itdonga.com)

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