Depending on when you were born, you may have differing ideas of what a robot should look like from your parents or younger siblings. The 1960s animated series “The Jetsons” envisioned Rosey, the robotic housekeeper of the Jetson Family, dutiful and dependable, while 1987’s RoboCop featured scary crime-eradicating cyborgs.
The reality in 2024 is that robots can be used to eliminate repetitive tasks, freeing up human employees to handle more appropriate tasks.
Keith and Daniel are joined by their families and members of the Houston West Chamber of Commerce at their recent ribboncutting.
Brothers Keith and Daniel Edwards have opened the Houston office of RobotLAB, which specializes in delivering autonomous technology solutions to businesses, especially restaurants, hotels, assisted living communities and janitorial services.
“We have lots of tools to help make businesses more efficient,” said Keith, who uses his MBA to consult with businesses about where they could be more efficient. “We’re not trying to replace people,” he said. “We’re trying to eliminate repetitive motion.”
They sold their first robot — a multi-purpose cleaning robot — to a yoga studio that wants to provide a superior level of clean. But Keith says they’re spending a majority of their time educating people about robotic technology and how it can make their workplace more efficient.
Eliminating repetitive tasks
RobotLAB has several multi-purpose cleaning bots that have many applications in the janitorial industry. These robots can vacuum, sweep and mop various floor types. A hotel or convention center can use robots to cleans the floors in a fraction of the time it would take an individual to vacuum or mop those same floors. “Robots are great for repetitive tasks that people don’t want to do anyway,” said Keith. “They can free up humans for responsibilities better suited to them, including washing windows and taking out the trash. That’s a return on investment that’s easy to calculate,” added Keith.
Keith prepares for a demonstration of one of their multi-purpose cleaning robots.
Robots are also being used in the hospitality industry to deliver room service orders or extra towels. They’re being used in hospitals to deliver meals to patients or prescriptions to the nurses’ station.
Kura Revolving Sushi, located at 11161 Westheimer, is already using robots to deliver beverages to guest tables. RobotLAB has the national account for Kura and will handle any repairs or service needed by the Westchase location of Kura.
“I love showing robots in restaurants,” said Keith. “It makes them visible, so they seem less scary.”
Daniel prepares to demonstration a service robot at a local restaurant.
Automotive and security uses
Keith and Daniel are pitching robots to automobile dealerships as well. Robots can deliver parts to the mechanics in the bays, saving them a trip to the parts department. “If you have 60 bays and 60 highly-paid mechanics making multiple trips to the parts department six minutes away, you can see that the cost adds up quickly. Robots can do that, and deliver a quick ROI to the dealership,” said Keith.
Robots can also be used for parking lot security. They’re equipped with license plate recognition cameras, facial recognition and can recognize the sound of breaking glass. “They’re very obvious, so they have a great deterrent factor,” said Keith.
Friendly robots
“Pepper” is the name of RobotLAB’s humanoid robot that can be programmed to answer hotel guests’ repetitive questions like, “where is the closest bathroom,” or “what is the weather going to be like tomorrow?” Humanoids are also being used in the medical industry to explain surgeries to children in a way that makes them seem less scary.
Keith noted that the cleaning robots are programmed with blinking eyes and other features that can charm the residents of assisted living facilities.
Advancing technology
Keith said the use of robotic technology in the United States is way behind what it is in Europe. “There is some resistance to the technology here,” he observed. “So we do a lot of education. The technology is getting better and better. If we don’t have what you need now, we want to understand your need – where your business could be helped by robotics – and we’ll call you when that new bot is available to help your business.”
If you’d like to meet with Keith or Daniel to learn how robotics might help your business, visit their website and sign up for a free consultation or onsite demonstration.
