With nurse staffing shortages impacting the healthcare industry, Norbert Health has positioned itself, through its specialized software, to provide the clinical intelligence and communication capabilities required for robots to become active members of care teams.

Norbert Health has raised $14 million in Series A funding as the healthcare technology startup looks to expand deployment of its AI-powered robotic nursing assistants across skilled nursing facilities and other care settings.

The Brooklyn-based healthcare startup’s funding will be used to expand its physical AI platform that transforms robotic hardware into autonomous nursing assistants. The assistants can monitor patients, perform clinical assessments, and support healthcare workers.

The financing was supported by William A. Marino of Cardinal Group, with participation from Exor Seeds and CareIT.  The round also included a group of angel investors that includes Alexis Le-Quoc and Olivier Pomel of Datadog, Saeju Jeong of Noom, and Thomas Clozel of Owkin.

The new round brings Norbert Health’s total funding to $19 million.

Rather than developing another robotic hardware platform, Norbert Health is building what it describes as the physical AI control system for healthcare. Its technology provides the clinical intelligence, sensing capabilities, and conversational interface needed to turn partner robots into autonomous assistants capable of performing tasks traditionally requiring nursing staff.

The company’s technology comes at a time when healthcare providers continue to face significant staffing shortages and increasing pressure on nurses and certified nursing assistants.

“Healthcare in the US is short close to a million nurses, and more than two million trained nurses no longer want to work bedside because the job keeps getting harder,” said Alex Winter, CEO and co-founder of Norbert Health.

Winter said previous healthcare robotics efforts have largely focused on logistics functions rather than the clinical activities at the heart of nursing.

“Robots that assist nurses can help reduce the burden, but only if they have clinical skills,” he said.

Norbert Health Brings Clinical AI to Healthcare Robots

With a clinical focus,  Norbert-powered robots make patient rounds, collect vital signs without physical contact, conduct assessments, and respond to patient requests. They automatically document encounters in electronic health records.

While modern robots can already navigate facilities, walk and transport items, Norbert Health is focused on providing the clinical intelligence and communication capabilities required for robots to become active members of care teams.

Its proprietary sensing and interaction AI technology can evaluate areas including contactless physiology, mobility and motor function, cognitive and mental health indicators, and behavioral and social activity.

The system also enables robots to communicate with patients across languages and different communication styles, conduct structured clinical assessments and coordinate findings with healthcare workers.

Those capabilities could enable care organizations to identify subtle changes in a patient’s condition before they lead to hospital readmissions or acute medical events.

At the same time, automating routine monitoring and assessment tasks could allow nurses and CNAs to devote more time to patient relationships, clinical judgment, and hands-on care.

Robotic Nursing Assistants Already Working With Patients

Unlike many physical AI companies still testing their systems in controlled environments, Norbert Health says its technology is already operating in healthcare facilities.

Norbert-powered robots have been rounding on hundreds of patients each day in skilled nursing facilities since August 2025.

The company reports 96% patient acceptance and says monitoring compliance has reached 82% — nearly twice the baseline rate for manual remote monitoring.

Norbert also says care teams using its technology are identifying acute events earlier each week. This potentially allows providers to intervene before patient conditions become more serious.

The system also supports reimbursable healthcare services and value-based care programs. This provides operators with a potential financial incentive to adopt the technology and helps address staffing constraints.

“Norbert is the rare physical AI company already earning its place in live clinical operations: real patients, real facilities, real workflows, every day,” said Filippo Monteleone, President and Founder of CareIT.

Funding Will Expand Norbert Health’s Clinical Capabilities

Norbert Health plans to use its Series A financing to expand its library of clinical skills and pursue additional regulatory clearances. Additionally, they will increase deployments across skilled nursing facilities and additional healthcare environments.

Clinical applications currently under development include post-fall neurological evaluations, pressure injury prevention protocols, cognitive screening, and fall-risk reassessments.

Each new capability can be added to Norbert Health’s existing installed robotic base, potentially allowing facilities to expand the functions their robots perform continuously.

Companies such as Norbert Health are developing specialized software and AI systems that equip robots with the domain-specific knowledge needed to operate in complex industries. The Brooklyn startup is positioning its platform as a bridge between today’s task-specific healthcare robots and the more capable autonomous healthcare assistants envisioned for the future.

“Healthcare labor is one of the largest markets in the US economy, and robots have never had a credible route into it until now,” said Saeju Jeong, Co-Founder and Executive Chairman of Noom.

For Norbert Health, that route begins with nursing support.