Patent ID: 8886383

Claim:
A remotely guided omnidirectional self-propelled patient-support vehicle, comprising: a vehicle navigation controller including a communication module having at least one of a receiver, a transmitter, and a transceiver operable to communicate with a remote navigation network and to receive control command information from the remote navigation network, and a route-status module including circuitry operable to provide one or more of travel route image information, patient-support vehicle geographic location information, patient-support vehicle travel direction information, patient-support vehicle travel velocity information, patient-support vehicle propulsion information, or patient-support vehicle braking information; and a body structure operably coupled to the vehicle navigation controller, the body structure including a surface configured to support a patient, a plurality of rotatable members operable to frictionally the patient-support vehicle to a travel path and to move the patient-support vehicle along the travel path, a steering assembly operable to vary a steering angle of at least one of the plurality of rotatable members, a power source operably coupled to one or more of the plurality of rotatable members, and a motor to drive one or more of the plurality of rotatable members; the vehicle navigation controller including a patient destination module for generating one or more control commands for navigating the remotely guided self-propelled patient-support vehicle to at least a first patient destination along a patient travel route based on the control command information from the remote navigation network.