According to an analysis by Harvard University, in a wave known as the Great Resignation, millions of American workers are quitting their jobs, leaving millions of unfilled positions. While almost every sector has been affected, the services sector has been particularly hard hit. Restaurants, bars, hotels, etc. are struggling to maintain operations without the necessary employees to carry out their daily operations. Some restaurants report a 50 to 100 percent increase in their business volume than before the pandemic, but no staff to handle it. LG hopes to solve this problem with CLOi ServeBot.
LG's CLOi ServeBot is the first robot to achieve UL 3300 certification, which means it is capable of operating in complex environments. This makes it ideal for restaurants, hotels and retail outlets.
The CLOi ServeBot has a semi-automatic operation function that can handle up to 66 pounds of cargo. The robot has a 9.2-inch touch screen that operators can use to enter information. When not used for input, the touchscreen displays a welcoming face, and cartoon-style eyes are designed to reassure customers.
Each shelf has its own time-of-flight (ToF) sensor, which lets it know when an item was taken out. This helps the bot know when one task is completed and it's time to move on to the next. In addition to shelf occupancy, the robot's ToF sensor can also navigate by measuring the time it takes for a light pulse to bounce back from an object.
Jeffrey Weiland, head of the B2B robotics team at LG Business Solutions USA, said: "LG CLOi ServeBot is truly a breakthrough for a variety of consumer-centric businesses, from restaurants to retail stores to hotels. CLOi ServeBot can run for 11 hours on a full charge and will be available from certified integrators in early 2022. The creators of CLOi ServeBot haven't shared price information yet – we'll see! ”