By Lauren Ludwig

04/13/2020

There is a huge growth in the utilization of artificial intelligence and robots to assist companies and consumers in all types of industries. Healthcare and retailers are all using AI in order to facilitate daily operations, which is causing a huge in the robotics market.

The “Cheetah GreetBot” is an automated receptionist created by Cheetah Mobile and Orion Star, two internet and intelligence research firms, that is engineered with voice recognition, navigation, and optimized data operations. The development of the GreetBot allows for human and machine interaction that helps day to day business operations. Technology such as the GreetBot will eventually transform the market standard and will be a crucial part of innovation.

Although there are many benefits associated with AI and service robotics, there are also many costs. These technologies are very costly to produce and to install. They also take a lot of industry expertise in order to perform their functions properly. In order to combat these issues, companies are utilizing virtual reality in order to train the robots. In a simulation, a human performs the task and the robot absorbs the information through imitation learning. This is done at a low cost and eliminates risks that could occur in the real world. This leads to a replacement of traditional models for more advanced models.

Traditionally, robotics are used in the manufacturing market, but are making their way into the hospitality market. For example, a robot can overtake simple human tasks done by a hotel staff by answering questions and offering door to door service. Robby Pepper is known as the first robot concierge, and marks the beginning of this type of innovation. This kind of technology can increase the efficiency of the hospitality business by being able to answer questions in multiple languages, and answering questions about restaurants, operating times, tourist attractions, and other relevant information.

In addition, robotics are entering the food service market by taking a place in, or completely replacing the kitchen. Moley Robotics has engineered the first ever robot that functions as a fully automated kitchen. This robot has two arms that prepare the food and a glass window that closes to cook the food. This technology could potentially replace the function of humans within the restaurant industry, and increase the efficiency of businesses that involve producing food.

Service robots also include the development of soft robots, which are composed of silicon and pliable alternatives. These became available due to the developments in 3D printing and manufacturing of hollow robotic legs. This also allows robots to be lightweight. This further improves robotic technology, as well as increases the robots’ ability to handle delicate tasks that require high-level precision.

It is very clear that the service industry is changing with the development of robotic technology. These new innovations will create new barriers to entry, as the minimum service requirement will become higher. There are still many questions on how these changes will affect the services of businesses that we all know well. Will interacting with a service robot change the consumer experience for the better or for worse? Can hospitality really be replaced by something that is inanimate? We will find out in the future.