I. What is a service robot?
Service robots are semi-autonomous or fully autonomous robots that can help humans complete tasks outside of the manufacturing process. They include dedicated service robots and home service robots. Dedicated service robots are robots that operate in special environments, while home service robots are robots that serve the home environment, such as robots that help the elderly and disabled, rehabilitation robots, cleaning robots, nursing robots, and educational and entertainment robots.
Service robots have a wide range of applications, mainly performing tasks such as maintenance, repair, transportation, cleaning, security, rescue, and monitoring. After several years of research and compilation, the International Federation of Robotics has given a preliminary definition of service robots: a service robot is a semi-autonomous or fully autonomous robot that can perform service work that is beneficial to human health, but does not include production equipment. Here, we also include some other robots that are closely related to people's daily lives.
By the end of 1999, apart from lawnmowers, almost all service robots deployed worldwide were industrial robots. The main application areas for these specialized robots include: medical robots, multi-purpose mobile robot platforms, underwater robots, and cleaning robots.
Judging from the current demand and the technological level of the equipment, robots for people with disabilities have not yet reached their intended goals. In the next 10 years, robots for people with disabilities will undoubtedly become a key area of service robotics. Many important research institutions are focusing on the development of such robots.
In terms of service robots as a whole, one of the main difficulties in their widespread adoption is price; another is that users do not fully understand the benefits, efficiency, and reliability of robots.
II. Pain Points of Service Robots
Through the above introduction, you should now have a basic understanding of service robots. However, there are still some obstacles in the development of service robots. These obstacles stem from the pain points in their development. Below, we will discuss the two major pain points of service robots. The first pain point is related to core technologies, while the second is the obstacles in promoting and disseminating service robots.
(I) Pain Points of Service Robots
Service robots are products based on the integration of multiple technologies. Key technologies include artificial intelligence, speech recognition and synthesis, semantic analysis and interaction, navigation and positioning, motion control, scheduling and management, motors and servos, multi-sensor technology, and communication technology.
Among these technologies, artificial intelligence and speech recognition are relatively new to the market and lack depth of development. Furthermore, the high investment and long development cycle required for core technology research and development have led some domestic service robot companies to be unwilling to invest too much energy in technological research. Instead, they prioritize product promotion.
(II) Pain Point 1 of Service Robots
Even now, the average person may know very little about robots. Perhaps in their minds, only those that look like humans are robots. Furthermore, service robots have many sub-sectors, ranging from cleaning robots to entertainment robots. Therefore, how to effectively promote them on a large scale has always been a challenge for businesses.
Cost is also a major reason why service robots are difficult to popularize in households. Both the software and hardware technologies of these robots require substantial funding for development and maintenance. Furthermore, as a complex product integrating multiple key technologies, its own production costs determine its high price.
Therefore, most service robots that can enter homes are mainly robotic vacuum cleaners, with very few robots actually used for care and companionship. Commercial service robots are only available to large commercial service organizations.
