Four-foot robot Astra starts work at NYC vein clinics with eye on operating room

A four-foot-tall robot named Astra has joined Astra Vein Treatment Clinics in New York City, taking on promotional duties as its owner pursues a longer-term surgical role for the machine. The prototype, built on a Unitree platform, is designed to move around the neighborhood, greet patients, and carry flyers about vein-treatment services. Its creator, Dr. George Bolotin, a vascular specialist who runs several clinics under the Astra umbrella, frames Astra as both a marketing tool and a test case for robotics in patient care.

Bolotin bought Astra for $20,000 in the spring after a year-long waiting list. At the moment, the bot's tasks are basic: a mobile advertisement that can approach passersby, stand on sidewalks, and even tell a joke or blow a kiss. While it is being used at three clinic locations across the Bronx, Brooklyn, and Queens, Bolotin says the robot is still under supervision by a human operator who uses a handheld controller connected to his phone to steer its movements. 'Right now, he’s mostly for promotion, but I really foresee him having a role in something, at some point, helping with surgery,' Bolotin said. Until he scrubs in, he’ll do basic things. That’s still around the corner.

Astra is still a prototype. The unit is a 100-pound robot built on the Unitree platform and runs on software that Bolotin keeps strictly within the company’s PG suite. It is the same model family as the viral Rizzbot, but Bolotin says Astra and Rizzbot are not interchangeable and that Astra is not currently operating autonomously; a human operator still guides its every move. The robot can walk, sprint briefly at about 3 miles per hour, pick itself up if knocked over, tell a joke, and blow kisses, but its current capabilities are limited to basic tasks while under supervision. Bolotin controls Astra using a controller that attaches to his phone, a setup he describes as he learns to navigate and calibrate the bot’s movement. It can be used to advertise the clinics’ services and lightly engage pedestrians as a way to draw attention to the operation.

Astra could become autonomous in the future, Bolotin says, but only under strict safeguards. If software updates unlock more advanced functions, the doctor envisions the bot assisting in the operating room—handing him instruments, fetching tools, and perhaps even relaying basic medical tips as procedures unfold. 'It’s really tough to find reliable staff sometimes for certain roles, so I think that’s where Astra would come in,' Bolotin explained. 'Astra is never going to miss work; he’s always going to have a battery I can charge.' The physician characterizes the project as exploratory rather than a plan to replace clinicians, noting that autonomy would come with rigorous oversight and safety protocols.

It is not only the technology that prompts debate; Bolotin also weighs the security implications. He acknowledged the risk that the network could be hijacked or manipulated to cause harm. 'It’s certainly feasible someone can hijack the network … if somebody were to program Astra to have a knife in his hand — because he can do stuff with his hands — and have him murder somebody, how do you prove who did it? I’m sure they can use VPN and track down who actually did it, but I can see it being a very big problem,' he said.

On Steinway Street in Queens, where the clinic sits, Astra’s street-level presence has become a short-term draw. Passersby paused to film the robot as it rolled down the sidewalk, drawing a mix of skepticism and curiosity. Andres Narvaze, a man leaving a nearby gym, said, 'Imagine seeing that thing at night? I will punch it, easily; I will kick it. Look at it run, it’s weird as hell.' Jenny G., a hotel customer-service worker who was among several bystanders, offered a more tempered view: 'I kinda know that the robots will be taking over eventually. It’s the new era. I don’t want it to take away the jobs from the other people. But I think it’s the future.' Jimmy Phillips, a retiree visiting from Florida, compared Astra to a Roomba with a strong energy reserve: 'It’s great. It’s almost human. It doesn’t talk, but he runs. Look at him! It runs like my wife. It’s a good thing, he has energy.' The spontaneous reactions reflect a public still weighing the promise of robots in daily life against concerns about job security and safety.

As Astra’s story unfolds, it sits at the intersection of medicine, automation, and public interest. Bolotin frames Astra as a prototype that could inform future tools in vascular care, while a broader trend in Technology & AI continues to push clinics to experiment with automation in both logistical and clinical workflows. The robot’s current use—promotional outreach, basic mobility, and reliability in movement—serves as a proof of concept for what could follow with careful oversight, testing, and regulatory guidance. For now, Astra serves as a high-profile demonstration of how AI-enabled hardware can spark conversation about the future of work, patient experience, and the safety of intelligent machines in medical-adjacent settings.