Intelligent Tech Channels Issue 63 | Page 55

EXPERT SPEAK
• Telepresence and social company
• Customer services
We take a look at some of the fastest growing and most important application and use case areas for service robots .
Logistics and warehousing
The logistics warehouse is a hive of activity . Volume goods are continuously being delivered , stacked and indexed , retrieved and then dispatched . This is a never-ending cycle . Robots can be programmed to fit into any of these segments of warehousing operational processes . The form factor is typically autonomous vehicles , lifters and carriers , and now even drones for smaller form factors .
Such robots are characterised by having low intelligence , are usually distributed in large numbers to be useful , and are now in high demand . This form factor has a CAGR of 21 % over the next ten years and is one of the primary application use cases for service robots .
Cleaning and sanitisation
The process of cleaning and sanitisation of the workplace , leisure areas , homes and other places of human movement and habitation , is an integral everyday operation . This process prepares the area for the next round of engagement with humans . Because of its importance coupled with the benefits that it offers ; this category of household and professional cleaning robots is the second largest amongst service robots .
Cleaning and sanitisation tools built into such service robots can be either contact based , that is brushes and detergent ; or non-contact based , that is sprays and UV light . The importance of this application use case for service robots was highlighted during the pandemic and was used extensively in some countries . stationary in presence , are designed to interact with customers through a faceto-face engagement . Their purpose is to automate many of the basic customer service tasks . Their investments are typically presented against benefits through automation of tasks and routines , workforce savings , efficiency and productivity through 24x7x365 days of usage .
Other than the fact that they are meant to provide information and a limited range of services at the request of customers , their importance lies in the fact that they can gather engagement data from the experiences customers have with these
Unlike industrial robots that have been incorporated for many years now , service robots are relatively new and designed to support humans in their daily lives . robots . This includes nature of the query , time spent , success rate and so on .
Most customer service robots help customers to find an item in a retail outlet , the price of an item , or complete a task for a customer . They can also guide customers in a retail outlet or lead customers around in a hospitality establishment . Their presence will become increasingly intuitive and expected in retail outlets , large outlet malls , family entertainment centres , over time .
Pepper is an example of a service robot designed to perceive emotions and form empathetic connections with users . Pepper has become familiar for welcoming guests with a warm “ Hello , how may I help you ?”. Some of its successful application use cases include serving as an airport concierge and hospital assistant . It has face recognition software as well as a touch screen for information display .
Other well-known service robots include Double 3 , PuduBot , BellaBot , KettBot , HolaBot , Puductor 2 , and Xenex .
As the usage of service robots increases and innovation levels improve , the powerful range of benefits are likely to trigger a wave of regional adoption . Finding a service provider to provide robots as a service is a good way to move forward into the realm of leveraging robotic innovation . •
Customer services
These robots that can have a humanoid or non-humanoid form factor , moving or
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