Over the past few decades, some of the most creative, resilient, and forward-thinking ideas haven’t emerged from these traditional centers of power—they’ve come from emerging economies.

Hospitals are buzzing with the promise of next-generation technologies, from robotic surgical assistants to automated medication dispensers.

If you walk into any hospital today, you’ll likely hear the same story: There are too many patients and insufficient staff due to the shortage of healthcare workers.

Some might consider pneumatic tube systems a relic of the past or a quirky feature of old-fashioned bank drive-thrus.