In the technology wave of 2023, artificial intelligence has stepped into a new era alongside humanity. With ChatGPT and AIGC leading the trends, an unprecedented technology feast is unfolding, marking an accelerated phase in the development of the robot industry. In addition to cutting-edge technologies such as humanoid robots and robotic dogs, commercial robots that focus on specific scenarios are also popping up in front of people like mushrooms after rain. Standing at a new historical crossroads, we not only face infinite possibilities but also uncountable challenges of the future.
Under this circumstance, Shenzhen Artificial Intelligence Industry Association and Mimir Research co-hosted ” 2024 International Conference on Artificial Intelligence – Online Forum on the Robot Industry” broadcast live on the innoHere platform. Donglin Ren, managing partner of Mimir Capital and president of Mimir Research, chairs the meeting. We are pleased to have Industry leaders such as Ai Mingming, Marketing Director of Excelland AI’s Outdoor Business Unit, Liu Bing, Marketing Director of Multiway Robotics, Wang Xuesong, Founder & CEO of iKitbot;, and Cheng Qiao, Vice President of Fubaorobot, shared recent technological breakthroughs, product innovations, and application scenarios with us.
Additionally, “The 5th Shenzhen International Exhibition on Artificial Intelligence” will be held in Shenzhen from May 29-31, 2024, concurrently with “2024 International Conference on Artificial Intelligence.” This online forum, themed “Intelligence+ Era, The Rise of Machines,” is part of a series of related activities.
The New Wave of Smart Logistics: Breakthroughs of Robots in Complex Campuses
At the conference, Ai Mingming, Marketing Director of Excelland AI’s Outdoor Business Unit, discussed “The Application of Low-Speed Unmanned Delivery Vehicles in Complex Campus Scenarios.” He emphasized that since 2013, the company has gradually achieved numerous breakthroughs and refined applications in various scenarios. Ai showcased Excelland AI’s product matrix, including “YouXiaoDi,” “YouXiaoMei,” and “YouXiaoGe,” each targeting specific scenarios. In commercialization, Excelland AI has demonstrated strong competitiveness. Collaborations with companies like Huazhu Group and BTH Hotels Group have given it an edge in hotel delivery scenarios. Additionally, in the outdoor delivery field, the company received investment from Eleme and jointly developed food delivery robots, fostering industry collaboration. After two years of R&D, Excelland AI achieved large-scale deployment of outdoor low-speed logistics vehicles in over 50 schools in 2022, delivering over 11 million orders. The company also collaborated with Alibaba DAMO Academy to combine food delivery with courier services, expanding campus deployment. In the smart cleaning business, Excelland AI partnered with Shaanxi Automobile Group New Energy Fund (Shaanxi Hongda) to develop autonomous sanitation vehicles, further broadening its business scope and application scenarios.
Liu Bing, Marketing Director of Multiway Robotics, also delivered a speech on “Building a Smart Logistics Infrastructure Platform with Unmanned Forklifts as the Carrier.” Multiway Robotics offers a full range of unmanned forklifts and four-way shuttles, with standardized products covering the industry’s most complex scenarios. Liu announced Multiway Robotics’s plan to create an integrated smart logistics system for handling and storage, with its MW RCS dispatch system supporting hundreds of different vehicle types operating collaboratively on the same site, planning optimal routes, completing tasks in the shortest time, and ensuring the highest efficiency. Multiway Robotics has shown significant innovation and technical strength in the field of smart logistics. The company provides integrated smart logistics solutions from proprietary hardware (such as a full range of unmanned forklifts and four-way shuttles) to core software (including Maiwei Cloud, dispatch system, WMS, RCS, WCS, site management system, and various vision solutions). These solutions achieve interconnectivity with other logistics and storage equipment, transitioning from single products to systematic applications, offering cost-effective and high-performance in-house smart logistics solutions. To date, the company has served over 400 large enterprise customers, covering more than 20 industry scenarios.
Diverse Applications of Cleaning Robots: Expanding from Home to Commercial Sectors
Wang Xuesong, founder and CEO of IKitbot, shared case studies of commercial cleaning robots at the forum. He pointed out challenges in the field, such as labor recruitment difficulties and lack of standards, and emphasized the importance of robots in addressing mismatches and shortages in human labor. IKitbot developed a fully digitalized simulation platform that models and simulates the entire cleaning process using digital simulation technology, offering optimized cleaning configurations for different scenarios. Thus, the use of robots significantly improves commercial cleaning efficiency by collaborating with existing staff during various shifts, particularly during off-hours such as nights when personnel are off-duty at home. Wang highlighted IKitbot’s overseas expansion plans, targeting not only traditional markets but also actively exploring emerging ones, aiming for global product supply. With the accelerating trend of population aging in developed countries, Chinese service robots have opportunities for international expansion. Wang specifically emphasized the uniqueness of the Japanese market, where the aging population is the highest globally, and there is a shortage of cleaning labor post-pandemic, making IKitbot’s development in Japan particularly active. According to statistics, the monthly wage cost of a cleaner in Japan is quite high, approximately 15,000 to 20,000 RMB, making it difficult for companies to find enough cleaners. In early 2023, IKitbot signed a multi-million yuan order with Toyota Tsusho Corporation, gaining endorsement from top Japanese channels. Finally, the founder explained the origin of the company’s brand name “Ikitbot,” with each letter representing the company’s core values, emphasizing that IKitbot’s understanding of commercial cleaning robots is “focusing on cleaning, returning machines to their essential purpose of cleaning.”
Smart Health Care Companion Robots: Fubao Intelligence’s Industry Demonstration Application in Smart Home Elderly Care
Finally, Cheng Qiao, Vice President of Fubao Intelligence, delivered a speech with the theme of “Fubao Intelligent Health Care Companion Robot’s Industrial Demonstration Application in Home Smart Elderly Care”. Fubao focuses on intelligent services in the medical and wellness fields, providing comprehensive solutions for all medical and wellness scenarios. She pointed out that Fubao wellness robots have shown significant functionality in the fields of health, elderly care, disability assistance, and rehabilitation. In medical scenarios, Fubao Intelligence has also developed various diagnostic robots, providing great convenience for patients seeking medical treatment. Meanwhile, Fubao Intelligence is actively building a smart hospital IoT platform to enable robots to be used appropriately in various aspects of healthcare. With the intensification of the aging population trend, the demand for such service robots in the market continues to grow. Cheng Qiao stated that Fubao Intelligence and Baidu AI DOCTOR have signed a strategic cooperation agreement, and Baidu ELMo for Healthcare is integrated with Fubao Robotics to better address this challenge. In terms of technological competitiveness, Fubao focuses on artificial intelligence technology and has comprehensive technological research and development capabilities. The company is at the forefront of the industry in AI interaction, algorithms, autonomous navigation technology, SLAM algorithm technology, robot software systems, and visual research and development. The relevant technologies have been successfully applied in multiple fields such as healthcare, elderly care, party building, transportation, and finance. It is understood that Fubao Intelligence has made significant achievements in the field of medical and health robots, and has established a leading position in this field. The company’s medical guidance robots have the highest market share in Zhejiang Province, and Fubao has also led the release of the first national group standard for recreational and nursing robots. In addition, Fubao Intelligence recreation robot was included in the national Ministry of Industry and Information Technology 2023 geriatric products promotion catalogue, listed half a year to cover more than 100,000 users, and continues to grow rapidly.
After the insightful theme sharing, Donglin Ren, managing partner of Mimir Capital and president of Mimir Research, raised a series of questions about the “robot” industry’s current situation and trends. The guests expressed their views on each sub-application field and offered forward-looking insights and opinions on hot topics of public interest.
The Shenzhen Artificial Intelligence Industry Association (SAIIA), adhering to the principle of “Based in Shenzhen, Deepening AI, Serving China, Radiating Globally,” is committed to connecting the AI ecosystem and supporting the development of the AI industry. Mimir Research, focus on new economic areas, by using industry research and enterprise surveys to provide macroeconomic, emerging sector, company analysis and investment strategy services for investment institutions and industry organizations over the world.