Servi is Now Equipped to Grow with Your Business
Introducing Multi-Robot Mode: Designed with Growth In Mind
When we think about the future of robotics, it’s only natural to imagine a realm bustling with the type of robotic communities featured in Star Wars, Westworld, or Wall-E. In terms of automation, this is actually an ideal way to picture the AI environment. As we’ve experienced during the information age, automation works so much better when synced up with the systems of technology that allow for innovation through interaction. Just think, where would social media feeds be without search AI or where would email marketing be without algorithm tools.
Applying this logic to mechanical automation only makes sense when attempting to advance, strengthen and scale both the technology and businesses who adopt it. By creating communities of robots who are able to interact and in turn increase efficiencies, we’re not only growing our workforce but generating a greater knowledge base as well.
At Bear Robotics, this is exactly what we set out to accomplish with the latest iteration of our service robot – Servi. Servi is a robotic solution for running food, delivering drinks, and bussing tables. It’s also our first product to feature a fully autonomous, custom-mapped multi-robot mode – and this innovation is helping to accelerate the automation space in a few different ways.
From the Factory Floor to the Food Industry
Traditionally, multi-robot systems of industry live in the context of warehouses and heavy automation. These are the fixed environments like production lines, assembly machines, and conveyor belts where each part of the automation equation works in unison but the variables of movement are limited to single spaces. Therefore, you don’t have to worry about say a lockstitch sewing machine running off and colliding into a case packer in your everyday garment factory.
Unfortunately, this isn’t the case for the type of robots running their courses in the restaurant environment. In the context of crazy shifts and kitchen obstacles, the dynamics of a multi-robot environment are much different. This is where we came in. In creating a multi-robot mode for our latest Servi iterations, we devised a system that can adapt to this changing environment while detecting deadlock situations.
This is something that hasn’t been done until now. Existing solutions in restaurant robotics require a difficult manual setup to define where robots can go, how much space is available, and how robots should interact. They also require that robots follow the paths defined for them, and are often inflexible to changes in the environment. If the model doesn’t fit reality, they fail. To function in a restaurant environment, the robot must be able to update its model of the world and adjust its plan from these changes without manual intervention.
Our Unique Approach
In creating our unique multi-robot functionality, we sought to address these challenges by creating a fully distributed architecture where no single failure point can scale up/down the number of robots without affecting operation. We also designed our robots to run entirely from received sensor data on the environment, meaning there are no manual annotations, paths, or intersections required to operate. This allows us to scale multi-robot deployments to thousands of locations. Our multi-robot stack is also constantly updating its perception of the world, the state of other robots in its orbit, and its plan in real-time so it can respond to changes in the environment. In essence, our robots operate by each making their own decision about what they need to do next.
Deadlock Detection
There’s also the matter of Deadlock Detection. What’s that you ask? Picture it like that moment you’re walking down the hall at work and bump into a coworker walking in the opposite direction. The two of you pause before engaging in the classic dance of darting every which way, exchanging a couple of “excuse me”s, before finding your way around each other. This is essentially deadlock, but in the robot world it can mean disaster or at least a stall. We’ve been able to combat this with exclusive detection technology that knows exactly where a robot is moving, how much space it has available, and whether it will conflict with another robot’s path in real-time. This allows our robots to assess the situation instantly and address a priority of movement.
So What Does This Mean For Your Business
“Okay, we get it,” you’re thinking. “You designed a system of robots who are able to communicate with each other and their environment to create an information-based agility feature that’s able to sync multiple active bots to one environment. Now, how does this help me?”
Glad you asked. By creating this technology, our goal was to make a robot that is able to scale with your business and your needs. The idea of enhancing customer experiences through automation isn’t nearly as inspiring if it doesn’t include growth. As with all technologies, innovation leads directly to growth which creates new challenges and in turn more innovation. It’s a beautiful cycle.
At Bear Robotics, we believe that when restaurants embrace automation, it makes them stronger and opens new avenues for growth. By creating software that allows for multiple robots to interact in harmonious environments, we’re able to meet the challenge of growth by generating a greater system of robots. And this is precisely why we’re so proud to announce this feature for Servi – the smartest solution for enhanced service.
Upgrade Your Employee Scores
If you’re ready to take the first step in bringing your restaurant, bar, or hotel into the future, we’d love to help. Our Servi service robots are quick to install, easy to use, and affordable to lease (just a fraction of the cost of traditional wages).
