Changes Accelerated by the Covid-19 Crisis

In 2020, it was predicted that service robots would spread to all industries, not just manufacturing.
Currently, we are undergoing a forced digital shift due to the impact of the corona crisis, face-to-face meetings are being replaced by remote, and manual work on site is being automated. Handwritten and paper documents are also becoming digital.
Opportunities to go shopping at physical stores are decreasing, the use of e-commerce is increasing explosively, and the new value of contactlessness is emerging. However, the labor shortage problem remains unresolved.

As the number of people infected with the COVID-19 decreases, various restrictions on movement are lifted, and our lives and the economy become active from now on, robots and digital labor will be replaced by robots and digital technology, making use of the rapidly progressing digital shift. The expansion of the use of robots will begin in earnest in every industry.

It is also expected that robots will be connected to various systems and that advanced services will be realized.
Instead of conventional robots that repeat simple tasks, smart service robots that work flexibly in cooperation with IoT sensors, AI, external robots, and business systems will realize advanced services.

Connected smart service robot

In the future, when the working population is decreasing and there is a shortage of labor, it will be necessary to produce high results with short hours and a small amount of labor, rather than the casual work style of the period of high economic growth. A fulfilling work-life balance is required for both work and personal life. Here, ``remoteization,'' ``automation,'' and ``non-contact'' provide new value.

Due to the digital shift that has progressed due to the coronavirus pandemic, the aforementioned IoT /digital data, AI, and robots are needed to address labor shortages and work style reforms. What is the main topic here, a smart service robot?

Traditional robots are characterized by routine tasks, repetitive tasks, and uniform quality. They are mainly used in FA due to their outstanding features such as being able to work quickly and accurately, working 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, and maintaining consistent work quality.
On the other hand, smart service robots perform appropriate services based on the external environment rather than performing predetermined tasks. It provides personalized services and performs more optimized services by learning results based on a history of past actions.

Macnica 's smart service robots provide services tailored to the external environment.
Obtain time, weather conditions, and other external event information using IoT /data, and based on that information, AI will analyze the data taken by the camera, including people's attribute information, congestion status, and past usage history. , the robot will perform the optimal service.
In other words, we do not just reduce the number of people or replace the same tasks with robots, but also provide services that are more useful to users. It creates new value, such as contactless, that could not be achieved through human work.

In the future, it may be possible to create extremely good robots by themselves. Robots that can be equipped with all kinds of sensors, can perform various applications, can move, and can lift things.
But it's very expensive. The sensors installed on the robot can only obtain information about the surrounding area of the robot.

The smart service robots provided by Macnica work flexibly in conjunction with various systems.
If your facility has sensors and cameras installed, there's no reason not to utilize that data.
Even if the robot itself has limited functions, a wide variety of functions can be achieved by linking multiple robots with different functions in conjunction with external systems.

Macnica service robots and usage examples

Introducing the service robots Macnica currently handles, `` Relay,'' `` Neo,'' and `` Temi.'' Relay delivers hotel room service to your room on behalf of staff. When a guest requests a towel at the reception desk, Relay will deliver it to the room using the elevator as well.
The cleaning robot Neo automatically cleans facilities with extremely large floors, such as airports, shopping malls, distribution warehouses, and factories. It runs automatically, recognizes objects, avoids them, and cleans until the end, reducing the amount of time required for manual work.
Equipped with telepresence capabilities, Temi can drive autonomously and perform video communications and various applications remotely as if you were in the field. By linking robots, applications, devices, digital data, and AI with Macnica 's platform, we will achieve remoteization and automation and create new value.

Remote services go beyond the limitations of location and provide services with a sense of presence, as if you were actually there.
Automation does not operate at a preset time, but rather uses "necessity" as a trigger to perform the optimal action on demand.

Next, we will introduce the value in three usage scenarios. The first is measures to increase retail sales.

・Guidance inside the building: A robot will replace the fixed guidance every day.
- Eliminate congestion and reduce lost opportunities: By directing customers from crowded areas to less crowded areas, lost opportunities are reduced and this contributes to increased sales.
・Attention-grabbing mobile advertisements: Robots move while playing audio and video, attracting strong attention. Improve advertising effectiveness and contribute to increased sales
- Take action where and when you need it: Take appropriate actions according to the timing and situation, such as time sales or lunchtime.
・Personalized customer service according to customer attributes: Gender and age can be predicted from the camera. CRM By collaborating with other companies, you can provide personalized customer service based on user attribute information and individuals.

Here, we introduce the co-creation partner Pdc We will continue to discuss this with you. Pdc ’s digital signage and content distribution system, and Macnica ’s IoT sensor data, camera, A.I. The aim is to create a service that will increase retail sales through collaboration between robots.
We will start our collaboration with mobile digital signage that utilizes robots, attracting strong attention by distributing advertisements while the robot moves, and distributing optimal content according to the time. We provide new value.


Next, it can be used in unmanned stores and remote customer service.

・Unmanned and remote store operations: Multiple store operations can be managed from a remote location.
・ Remote customer service by experts: Since there are no restrictions on location, staff who can provide advanced customer service will provide remote support to improve the quality of customer service.
・Sales promotion that conveys the thoughts of the producer: You can tell the story behind the product even if the producer is not there.
・Touchpoints continued from online: Web You can also receive a customer experience linked to and apps at a real store
・Promotion at event stores: We aim to improve product awareness at event stores that can be opened quickly and portablely.

Here, our co-creation partner Nippon Broadcasting, Yacyber with Ten We conducted a demonstration experiment in the form of a direct sales store at a tower apartment in the month.
Fresh "morning vegetables" are lined up at the store during the day and sold, and the robot guides the products.
In unmanned sales, it is impossible to explain the goodness of the product, even if it is made with great care.
However, even if there is no staff on site, the robot will guide you about the products, and when necessary, you can have remote video communication with the staff via the robot, even in an unmanned store. I can tell you the goodness of the product firmly.

In these two usage scenes, digital data is acquired from sensors, cameras, business systems, web applications, etc., and analyzed to determine the AI action and execute it by the robot.
By repeating this cycle, the robot learns the most effective actions. Based on the goal of increasing sales, AI performs reinforcement learning and automatically performs optimal actions for that purpose.

In addition, robots and AI share the results of learning by separate robots, and learning progresses at an overwhelming speed. Simply put, 10 machines will learn 10 times faster, and 100 machines will learn 100 times faster.
The results are immediately applied to all robots, allowing them to perform highly effective actions that they learn with enough experience. Even when introducing a new robot, it will take over the learning data up to that point, gaining experience as if it were a veteran staff member, and serving customers.

The third is the sophistication of facility operations.

・Automation of night patrol monitoring work: A robot patrols at night and leaves a record. If an abnormality is detected by a sensor or camera, a report will be sent.
・Coordination with security work: When an abnormality is detected by the facility's camera, the robot rushes to the scene first. The robot will check the current situation, and the person will remotely check the site through the robot, improving security efficiency.
・Maintenance according to facility usage: Instead of regular maintenance, necessary maintenance is performed at the necessary timing by acquiring and analyzing facility usage information.
・On-demand service: When various sensors or cameras detect an abnormality, the abnormality triggers the robot to move on demand. For example, when an abnormality such as someone spilling something is detected, the cleaning robot automatically starts moving. Detecting an abnormality such as a person sitting down, the robot immediately moves to the spot and calls out to confirm the status remotely.

・Lifestyle shift
Robots can read digital data and AI By collaborating with and realizing remoteness and automation, the services we use will change significantly, and it is expected that our lifestyles will also change significantly.

With remote work, there are no restrictions on where you work, and you can work from home without the time it takes to commute. It is also possible to find a gap time and work flexibly.
Tasks that can be automated without human intervention will be automated. By dividing roles between humans and robots, humans can concentrate on highly creative tasks that only humans can do. 1 Work productivity per person is significantly increased.
In addition, by automating physically demanding tasks such as carrying heavy objects, it becomes easier to expand work options.

In addition, the degree of freedom in working styles will increase, and companies will be able to secure a labor force.
It will make it easier for people who have skills but are unable to work for various reasons, such as childcare or nursing care, to find a job. In addition, securing a labor force and increasing the productivity of each individual will lead to an increase in the competitiveness of the company.
digital data, AI, Robots will provide a variety of services in all industries, and our lifestyles will change significantly.

Under the slogan "CoTomorrowing," Macnica connects cutting-edge technology and intelligence, and together with our co-creation partners, provides services that contribute to the development of future society.