The rise of service robots

The transition of robots from industrial applications to service roles that bisect and positively impact day-to-day human life.

In the book ‘In Other Worlds: SF and the Human Imagination,’ novelist, literary critic, environmental activist, and inventor Margaret Atwood stated, “Human toolmakers always make tools that will help us get what we want, and what we want hasn’t changed for thousands of years because as far as we can tell the human template hasn’t changed either.” This statement seems true for the foreseeable future when we look back through our history, current trends, and fictional depictions of the time ahead.

Humanity has always found ways and means to improve things, whether by necessity or desire. The next stage encompasses the broader integration of robots into our personal and business lives.

Of course, robots have been serving as critical parts of engineering chains such as industrial production for many years, known as industrial robots. However, some robots, known as service robots, can operate as standalone, isolated machines that perform select tasks continuously, with minimal intervention or interruption. Service robots are relatively new to the market, and, as their name might imply, they are designed to support humans in their daily lives.

For the last few years, innovation around service robots has been limited, but that is rapidly changing, thanks to a convergence of technologies that are bringing with them previously unheard-of levels of sophistication and capability to these machines.

A Hive of Activity - The World of Logistics

The logistic and warehousing sector is where volume goods are delivered, stacked, indexed, retrieved, and dispatched constantly. Given the repetitive, potentially dangerous, and strenuous nature of work in this scenario, service robots are ideal fit since they can be programmed to address any of these segments of the warehousing operational processes. The form factor of these robots can be anything from autonomous vehicles to lifters and carriers and, more recently, even highly capable drones.

These relatively low intelligence machines are usually deployed in large numbers (to be helpful) and so are enjoying high demand. In fact, over the next decade, robots fitting these form factors are expected to see a CAGR of 21%.

Keeping it Clean!

Taking advantage of service robots in the cleaning and sanitization sector makes perfect sense as this sector is characterized by repetitive tasks that must be accomplished on a set schedule and the use of chemicals that might affect human health in the long run. Here, service robots can quickly clean and sanitize, so the environment, be it a home, workplace, place of leisure, or any other area, is fit for habitation and usage by humans.

Due to the importance of this massive sector and the raft of benefits service robots offer, the household and professional cleaning robots’ segment is the second largest among service robots. Various effective cleaning and sanitization tools can be built into service robots and can be either contact or non-contact-based, i.e., brushes and detergents or sprays and UV light. The use of service robots in the cleaning and sanitization sector was significantly pushed during the initial pandemic, as thousands of organizations deployed these robots around the world.

Service with a Smile

Service robots designed for customer service can automate many basic tasks via real-time face-to-face customer interactions. These robots can be mobile or stationary and have humanoid or non-humanoid form factors. Typically, investments in robots here result in the automation of several tasks and routines, high efficiency, workforce savings, and 24/7/365 productivity.

Several well-known service robots are already in this segment, including Pepper, Double 3, PuduBot, BellaBot, KettBot, HolaBot, Puductor 2, and Xenex. Apart from providing information and offering a limited range of services in response to customer inputs, these service robots, and others like them are important as they can gather engagement data from the experiences customers have with them. This can include parameters such as the nature of the query, success rate, time spent, and more.

Generally speaking, customer service robots enable people to locate products in a retail environment, assist with the price of an item, or even complete a particular task for the person. In addition, they can guide hospitality or retail customers through the environment. Over time, they have become more intuitive and, as a result, have become expected fixtures in retail outlets, shopping malls, and even family entertainment centers.

Pepper features face recognition software and a touchscreen display, an excellent example of a service robot designed to perceive emotions and form empathetic connections with users. Some of its successful use cases include performing airport concierge and hospital assistant duties.

Considering the benefits service robots already offer, the ongoing introduction of new, innovative, and capable robots, and a regional desire to shine as a hotspot for technology, the near future could see a tidal wave of service robot adoption within the Middle East. The key to this future is working with a qualified regional service provider that will enable you to deploy and reap the benefits of robotic innovation. ë

Endava announces a new member of the Board of Directors

Endava, a leading next-generation technology service provider, has announced the appointment of Patrick Butcher to its Board of Directors.

Patrick Butcher most recently served as Group Chief Financial Officer of the Headlam Group plc from April 2022 until March 2023. From January 2019 to November 2020, he served as Group Chief Financial Officer at Capita plc. Prior to that, Patrick Butcher served as Chief Financial Officer at various companies, including The Go-Ahead Group plc, Network Rail Limited, the English and Scottish Railway, and Mapeley Limited.

Patrick Butcher received his B. Compt. (Hons.) in Accounting and Finance from the University of South Africa and is a qualified Chartered Accountant (South Africa). Endava also announced a number of changes to the executive team, effective July 1, 2023, designed to help position the company to achieve its projected growth out to 2030.

ServiceNow announces new leadership appointments in EMEA

ServiceNow, the leading digital workflow company that makes the world work better for everyone, announced expanded leadership roles and promotions in Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA). This comes as part of the company’s continued commitment to investment, innovation, and ambitious growth in the region.

Current Vice President EMEA South, Cathy Mauzaize is promoted to president, EMEA. In her role, Mauzaize will drive the growth strategy in EMEA to support ServiceNow in becoming the defining enterprise software company. Mauzaize previously held senior leadership roles across companies including Microsoft, SAP, Dell, PwC, and Hewlett Packard. EMEA President Ulrik Nehammer is promoted to chairman, international. In this strategic advisory role, Nehammer will bring his expertise to global customer accounts and strategic planning. Fabio Spoletini has joined ServiceNow as vice president, EMEA South, leading business development across the extensive and diverse area of Southern Europe, Middle East and Africa.

Nutanix appoints Raif Abou Diab as Country Manager for UAE, Oman, Pakistan and Yemen

Nutanix, a leader in hybrid multicloud computing, announced the appointment of Raif Abou Diab as Country Manager for UAE, Oman, Pakistan and Yemen.

In his role, Raif is responsible for ensuring strong business growth and excellence of operations across the region, leveraging Nutanix’s globally renowned expertise to meet the aspirations of government bodies and private sector organizations.

With over 2 decades of experience in Information Technology, Raif brings a wealth of expertise and insights to the job and will play a critical role in strengthening Nutanix’s position as a leading provider of cloud computing solutions. Embracing the core values of integrity, innovation, and growth, Raif stands at the forefront of the fastest-moving technology and digital transformation trends including Artificial Intelligence, Edge solutions, Hybrid Multiclouds, IoT, and customer investments shifting to the information age and digital economy.