Engadget has reported that The Mayo Clinic, alongside with Jacksonville Transportation Authority, Navya and Beep are experimenting with completely self-driving shuttles to transport COVID-19 test kits to the Mayo Clinic campus.
This move is an effort to reduce the risk of exposure to the deadly coronavirus, whilst also freeing up the medical worker’s time by allowing them to focus more on patients rather than worrying about logistics.
While it is completely autonomous, there is an SUV driven by a human behind the shuttle to make sure. They are there to supervise and ensure that there is nothing that will impact the delivery path of the shuttles.
Furthermore, there is still the need for staff to pack and unpack the test kits from the shuttle. But overall, this reduces the number of people interacting with the test kits.