On January 5, 2026, during the "Intelligence Through Motion" panel at CES Las Vegas, Dr. Thomaz (Co-Founder & CEO, Diligent Robotics) announced the release of Moxi-C (Clinical Edition) and a landmark partnership with the Mayo Clinic.
This achievement is exceptional for three reasons:
Solving the "Last Meter" Problem: While most robots are designed for warehouses (where mistakes are costly but rarely fatal), Thomaz successfully engineered a droid capable of navigating the chaotic, high-stakes environment of a hospital ER. The Moxi-C was revealed as the first robot certified to perform "patient-proximate" tasks, such as delivering meds directly to isolation rooms, rather than just hallway logistics.
Social Intelligence at Scale: Unlike industrial bots, Thomaz’s key breakthrough—highlighted in her talk—was giving the robot "Social Manipulation" capabilities. Moxi-C uses a new set of "politeness algorithms" to read nurse body language and get out of the way before a collision happens, a subtle but incredibly difficult technical feat that builds trust with human staff.
Academic to Commercial Triumph: As a former professor at UT Austin, Thomaz represents the difficult transition from "lab research" to "venture-backed scale." By securing a fleet-wide contract with a major health system on this date, she effectively moved service robotics from a "novelty pilot" to a "standard of care" essential for solving the global nursing shortage.
