Jun 2020| Report Format: Electronic (PDF)
Recent Market Developments
· In May 2020, Interactions LLC surveyed 1,000 people across the U.S. and found that consumer sentiment was generally positive toward AI and robotics in the post-COVID world. The need to reduce direct human contact for social distancing while still delivering services such as food have led to a better understanding of the roles that robots can play in healthcare and the supply chain.
· In December 2019, Blue Ocean Robotics ApS announced that it raised close to $12 million (U.S.) from Danish investors. The company said it planned to use its funding to continue its development of service robots for the healthcare, hospitality, construction, and agriculture industries. Also, Blue Ocean’s UVD robot, which autonomously disinfects hospital rooms with ultraviolet light, won the 15th Innovation and Entrepreneurship Award in Robotics and Automation (IERA).
· In December 2019, Keenon rolled out peanut service robots (Food delivery robot) worldwide. It is in high demand and can be spotted on a number of occasions in the country, as Keenon has largest consumer base in China. Keenon’s robots use lidar and machine vision, as well as infrared sensors for detecting the status of its payload, such as dishes in the case of food service. Peanut’s user interfaces includes voice recognition and simplified visual and touchscreen displays.
· Companies like Cobalt and Knightscope are leasing out security robots. These devices are the size of a person and they travel around corporate offices, equipped with heat sensors, facial detection and employee badge scanners. The robots rove autonomously, watching for signs of trouble, like an unauthorized person entering the building.
· In Aug 2019, Toyota Motor Corp. and Preferred Networks Inc. announced an agreement to engage in joint research and development on Toyota’s Human Support Robot robotics platform. The two companies said they “aim to develop service robots that cater to market needs at the earliest opportunity.” By combining their respective technologies and know-how, Toyota and Preferred said they intend to develop service robots capable of learning in typical living environments and executing a variety of tasks.
· In November 2019, in a positive growth for service robotics manufacturing, iRobot Corp., a leader in consumer robots, announced that it officially commenced production in Malaysia ahead of schedule. Working with Jabil Inc., a worldwide manufacturing solutions provider based in St. Petersburg, Florida, iRobot has expanded its manufacturing capabilities into Malaysia as part of its strategic supply chain diversification initiative.
· At CES 2020, Samsung electronics unveiled Bot Chef, which is a robotic arm mounted in the kitchen to help people automate their kitchen work. Bot Chef can do everything from cutting meat to adding seasoning after you’ve cooked something. You can also upload recipes so that the robotic arm knows what it’s supposed to do. Samsung says the Bot Chef can be ideal for physically-challenged users who could use assistance while in the kitchen. The robotic arm includes a LiDAR sensor and an ambient light detector. Samsung claims these products are its vision for the future of smart homes.
· In September 2017, Ecovacs’ WINBOT 950 is the latest addition to the window cleaning list of robots. It has smart drive cleaning system which gives it ability to maneuver into the corner. It has advanced technologies for an effective window cleaning, which is capable of cleaning various kinds of windows thoroughly and safely. This gives a major boost to the cause of service robotics in the world.
