Automation, IoT, cobotics, companion robot, humanoid robot, service robots. There are a lot of robotics-related buzzwords floating around the mediasphere these days, and keeping track of them all can be confusing. Because we’re in the business of helping people-focused industries integrate smart automation, we’d like to take a moment to discuss service robots in all their various and helpful forms.

 

According to the International Federation of Robotics, the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) defines a “service robot” as a "robot in personal use or professional use that performs useful tasks for humans or equipment". Further, “according to ISO 8373 robots require “a degree of autonomy,” which is the ‘ability to perform intended tasks based on current state and sensing, without human intervention.’ For service robots this ranges from partial autonomy—including human robot interaction—to full autonomy—without active human robot intervention.”

 

Basically, a service robot is one designed to help people in a variety of environments by assisting with or taking on certain tasks. These tasks usually fall into one or more categories of the 3 “D”s—dull, dirty, dangerous. However, we’d like to add a fourth—time consuming. Often, and especially in today’s very tight labor market, business owners and facility managers struggle to find enough qualified workers to handle necessary yet time-consuming jobs such as floor cleaning, food running, dish bussing, sanitation, and reception. Service robots help fill in these gaps by taking on some mundane yet essential tasks with a high degree of accuracy and round-the-clock reliability. These robots not only ensure that necessary work gets done, but lighten the loads of their human coworkers, allowing them to focus on higher-value and more rewarding work.

 

Now, let’s take a closer look at the various types of service robots and how they assist people. 

 

One of the most eye-catching and media-mentioned types of service robot is the indoor/outdoor delivery robot. Most frequently used for food delivery, these autonomous or remotely-operated “coolers on wheels” are typically large, rugged and capable of traversing city streets in order to fulfill last-mile delivery needs within high-density city areas or college/corporate campuses. Their popularity is soaring thanks to advancements in self-navigating technology, increased environmental awareness among the public, and a definite “wow factor” as they roll along. They’re even showing up in large indoor spaces like airports and shopping centers. 

 

These service robots help people by:

- Providing a convenient service to the public in an eco-friendly way

- Reducing the amount of car-dependent food delivery that contributes to carbon emissions

- Providing a sense of peace and order to restaurant delivery operations vs. a constant crush of third-party delivery drivers waiting around

- Giving airport and other large facility patrons a convenient way to have food or supplies delivered to them 

 

When food delivery takes place within a hospitality setting, service robots can be just as helpful, but in a different way. Delivery robots developed for food service or hospitality are typically designed with open trays for easy reach of plates, drinks and other items. They can accompany waitstaff to tables, expediting heavy plates so the server doesn’t have to. Or, in more limited-service settings, these robots can deliver food to tables all on their own, allowing restaurant staff to focus on taking orders, refilling drinks, or greeting customers. 

 

While some foodservice delivery robots are what amounts to a stack of trays on wheels, others are more interactive and personable, combining customer-friendly enhancements like facial features, voice responses, or the ability to play music with the core delivery functionality. Others can tackle what happens after a meal, carrying heavy bus tubs full of used dishes and cutlery back to the kitchen, saving a lot of time and physical labor for busy restaurant staff.

 

Hotels can find great uses for delivery robots both within their restaurants and foodservice areas, and outside of them. Certain types of secured delivery robots are being used by busy hotels as a quick and easy way to deliver room service, linens, and other guest items directly to hotel rooms. 

 

Delivery robots have multiple uses outside the realm of foodservice and hospitality. In a hospital or healthcare setting, for instance, delivery robots can assist nurses and other support staff with repetitive supply delivery, autonomously couriering samples to the lab, or fetching medication from the pharmacy. These robots can also follow clinical staff during daily rounds, carrying needed tools and supplies to free up a nurse’s hands and reduce the amount of walking that has to be done each shift. Some secured delivery robots even come equipped with UV-C disinfection technology, allowing supplies, linens, and medical instruments to be disinfected as they’re carried. 

 

Spurred largely by heightened awareness of sanitation measures during the height of the Covid-19 pandemic, autonomous robotic disinfection technology is proving to be a reliable and highly effective way to reduce pathogens within facilities. These robots use UV-C light, anti-microbial dry mist, or a combination of both to neutralize and eliminate pathogens from surfaces. They’re well suited to any type of facility that requires regular disinfection, such as healthcare facilities, schools, hospitality venues, and more.

 

Commercial cleaning robots are taking the world of facilities management by storm. More advanced and rugged than the “Roomba” type robotic vacuums developed for home use, autonomous floor cleaning robots are helping facilities of all sizes automate an extremely important yet time consuming task. Floor cleaning robots can clean 10-20 times faster than a human, freeing up janitorial staff from this tedious and labor-intensive job. They’re also highly efficient, combining multiple functions within one machine, and recycling water to reduce waste. Many of these robots can perform self-maintenance, including charging, emptying of refuse, water refill, etc., reducing human involvement with the floor cleaning process.

 

Service robots aren’t just about helping humans in physical ways. A new crop of service robots, powered by AI and machine learning, are helpling people in a more intelligent, interactive way. Interactive robots are now being used by facilities running the gamut from hospitality to healthcare, assisting guests with directions, Q&A, check-in, facility information, and more. Robots like this are generally smaller than their heavy-lifting counterparts, and have features such as voice recognition and response as well as high-quality display screens to make them approachable and user-friendly.

 

Despite occasional media hand-wringing over the potential for robots to displace human workers, the fact remains that nearly all service robots are designed to work in tandem with people, not replace them. With so many people-focused industries struggling to hire workers, and existing workers facing higher workloads and burnout, service robots offer a revolutionary way to offload repetitive and time consuming tasks, improving operations and making the most of the workforce you have.

 

If you’re interested in learning more about how service robots can help your business or facility, get in touch with one of our BoT experts today!