{"id":577638,"date":"2024-01-27T08:00:33","date_gmt":"2024-01-27T13:00:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.therobotreport.com\/?p=577638"},"modified":"2024-01-26T15:01:40","modified_gmt":"2024-01-26T20:01:40","slug":"pudu-ceo-predicts-service-robot-market-to-expand","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.therobotreport.com\/pudu-ceo-predicts-service-robot-market-to-expand\/","title":{"rendered":"Pudu Robotics CEO predicts that service robot market will expand"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Parkhotel

Parkhotel employees in Eisenstadt, Austria, celebrate the arrival of service robots. Source: Pudu Robotics<\/p><\/div>\n

Commercial service robots are more common in East Asia than elsewhere, but the rest of the world could catch up in 2024, according to Pudu Technology Co. The Shenzhen, China-based company claimed that it is China’s top exporter of such robots.<\/p>\n

“If 2023 was the year of GenAI, I believe 2024 will be the year of the robot,” stated Felix Zhang, founder and CEO of Pudu Robotics. “While humanoid robots and food-making robots grabbed headlines in 2023, the untold story is that it’s the humble service robot — robots that skillfully deliver items and clean floors, often in high-traffic areas — that are actually ready to scale in 2024.”<\/p>\n

Last year, Pudu Robotics said it deployed robots across 600 cities in 60 countries. The company<\/a> also partnered with SoftBank<\/a> and Nippon Otis Elevators<\/a>, opened<\/a> its autonomous mobile robot (AMR<\/a>) management platform to developers, and won Red Dot and iF Design<\/a> awards. In addition, it raised<\/a> more than $15 million in Series C3 funding.<\/p>\n

Zhang discussed Pudu’s current offerings and his outlook for this year with The Robot Report<\/em><\/a>:<\/p>\n

Service robots to take on more healthcare roles<\/h2>\n

You have predicted<\/a> more robots in hospitals and senior living facilities. Does Pudu<\/span> offer robotics specifically for elder care?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Zhang:<\/strong> Pudu<\/span> Robotics offers several robots that are deployed in senior living facilities to assist facility staff and residents in their day-to-day tasks and improve the emotional well-being of the elderly. The robots include the BellaBot and KettyBot, two models of delivery robots that can serve food or medicine, assist with returning items, and in some cases even interact with residents.<\/p>\n

In addition, although it\u2019s not designed to interact with residents, the PUDU<\/span> CC1<\/a> cleaning robot can help keep senior living facilities tidy, as it is designed to scrub, sweep, vacuum and mop in care homes and other commercial settings. These capabilities automate menial tasks for overwhelmed workers and set the standard for hygiene<\/a> in autonomous cleaning.<\/p>\n

For example, a chain elderly care institution in Hong Kong, which operates 12 nursing homes with 1,600 beds, has adopted CC1 for cleaning the internal environment, reducing the workload of the staff.<\/p>\n

PUDU<\/span>\u2019s robots are especially timely, as more than 1 in 6 Americans are now 65 years or older<\/a>, and life expectancy continues to grow, thanks to medical advancements. Our aging population is contributing to a major healthcare staffing crisis<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The next 12 months will see the increased adoption of robots in healthcare<\/a>, as short-staffed senior-living facilities employ the technology to complete tasks. They can monitor daily routines, provide reminders for medication schedules, detect changes in body temperature, and warn medical professionals and families of any abnormalities. <\/p>\n

Robots can also provide emotional support for the elderly and robot-assisted living will become a crucial asset for the growing elderly population. Loneliness is a common problem for many older people, robots provide company and can engage in activities such as communication, storytelling, and playing music.<\/p>\n

The traditional way of caring for the elderly often falls short of meeting all of their needs, and robots are able to fill the gaps.<\/p>\n