Robot butlers are moving towards life, but there is still a lack of "rules". Experts pointed out that-
Service robots urgently need industry technical specifications
Compared with industrial robots, service robots pay more attention to the human-computer interaction experience. The interaction between users and robots is frequent. The robots are required to have efficient feedback speed. It is also important for deep learning, natural language processing, visual perception, cloud computing, etc. Artificial intelligence technology puts forward higher requirements.
On December 17, at the 2021 Artificial Intelligence Technology Innovation Series Summit Forum, the group standard of "Technical Specifications for Robot Autonomous Positioning and Navigation" was released.
The standard stipulates the performance test requirements and evaluation methods for the positioning, navigation, obstacle avoidance, relief, map construction, multi-robot coordinated obstacle avoidance and coordinated transportation of mobile robots, and proposes more detailed technologies for the technical specifications of service robots Claim.
Service robots need to deal with dynamic environments
At present, the industry generally divides robots into three categories: industrial robots, service robots and special robots.
The breakthrough of artificial intelligence technology and the drop in the cost of core components have accelerated the penetration of service robots in various fields.
In the past five years, the growth rate of China's service robot industry has been higher than the global average growth rate, and the market scale accounts for more than 25% of the global market. At the same time, it has global competitive advantages in industrial chain and industrial environment, and it is expected to become a leader in the global service robot field in the future. By.
Catalyzed by the new crown pneumonia epidemic and on the basis of several years of continuous rapid growth, China's service robot industry will continue to expand rapidly in the future and has great potential.
Compared with industrial robots, what are the characteristics of service robots?
"Compared with industrial robots, the biggest feature of service robots is the difference in working environment. The working environment of industrial robots can be considered structured, while service robots are unstructured." Founding partner of Beijing Yunji Technology Co., Ltd. And CPO Ying Fuchen said in an interview with a reporter from Science and Technology Daily that among industrial robots, the most familiar industrial robot arm, its most mainstream application scenario is fixed in one place, and the layout of the robot arm’s working space will follow the most suitable mechanical The way the arms work is arranged, which is why the industrial robot arms we see on display at the exhibition are often circled in an area, or even completely covered with a cover, so as not to hurt the surrounding people.
"And service robots (in particular, robots that can move autonomously) often enter existing places, such as hotels, office buildings, restaurants, hospitals, etc., and cannot require the environment to adapt to the robot, but the robot can only adapt to the environment. And the surrounding environment may change at any time, so service robots need to deal with more complex and dynamic environments." Ying Fuchen said.
"Robots need to improve the ability to perceive various environments, including interactions with various smart devices. For example, robots need to go up and down elevators and notify guests (landlines, mobile phones, smart speakers, etc.), and outdoor service robots need to judge road conditions. These are related to the environment. The interactive intelligent systems can be collectively referred to as environmental intelligence. How to communicate between the robot and the environment and how to better understand the environment requires the joint efforts of robot manufacturers and related industries to form industry standards and build roads for service robots Bridge." Ying Fuchen said.
Human-computer interaction should be as natural as interpersonal communication
Experts believe that service robots should take service as the core and have a clear value expansion path, and ultimately return to the essence of business.
So, what are the requirements of service robots for robot performance, and what technologies need to be developed to support them?
Ying Fuchen said that the human-computer interaction experience of the service robot is very important, because in the entire work link of its communication, people in various roles will be contacted, such as the staff who are robot colleagues or the users who receive robot services, and during the work process. Passers-by contacted etc.
Therefore, service robots have strong requirements on ergonomics and human-computer interaction to ensure the convenience of operation and the smoothness of interaction.
In terms of interaction, service robots need to organically combine UI, voice, vision and other technical means to make the interaction between humans and robots as natural as human interactions.
"Another important point is that the working scenes of service robots often overlap with human activities. In some places, the flow of people is very dense, such as elevators." Ying Fuchen pointed out that if you consider When it comes to outdoor robots, the interaction between service robots and other vehicles needs to be considered. Therefore, the safety of service robots during operation and the harmonious coexistence of humans and robots are particularly important.
Robotic arm blessing to expand application scenarios
Compared with industrial robots, service robots are still a relatively young industry.
Ying Fuchen believes that the current service robots have achieved large-scale applications in certain vertical fields, such as hotel, restaurant cleaning, buildings, etc. From a functional point of view, indoor distribution, cleaning patrols, disinfection, welcome guides, etc. The field has also been relatively mature.
For outdoor scenes, service robots are still in the exploratory period, but in the near future, service robots in closed parks should also be able to develop rapidly. At the same time, collaboration between outdoor robots and indoor robots is also imperative.
"Another big development direction is the combination of mobile robots and robotic arms, which can greatly expand the application functions and scenarios of service robots. At present, the miniaturization and low cost of robotic arms are also fast. The family we look forward to The robot housekeeper will not be too far away," Ying Fuchen said.
Zhu Xiaorui, professor of Harbin Institute of Technology (Shenzhen) and dean of Zhuhai Lingnan Big Data Research Institute, believes that mobile robots have the following characteristics, namely that the perception and action capabilities of intelligent systems are increasingly enhanced; human and intelligent systems are increasingly integrated, and man-machine integration The environment is taking shape; new intelligent mobile robots have the ability to learn pedestrian behavior patterns in an unknown social environment.
Autonomous positioning and navigation technology is the cornerstone
With the rapid development of artificial intelligence, computer vision, speech recognition, navigation, sensing, semiconductors, and power energy technologies, service robots are constantly making breakthroughs in innovations in function, performance, autonomy, ease of use, and cost-effectiveness.
"Autonomous positioning and navigation technology plays a cornerstone role in service robots." Ying Fuchen pointed out because it solves three core problems: where am I, where I want to go, and how to go; only these problems are solved. Only service robots can have more working and service space.
"At the same time, robots need to interact with the environment, humans, and other robots in the process of moving. For example, how to ensure that multiple robots enter and exit the elevator at the same time, how to ensure that they enter and exit first, and how the robots queue up; and how do robots interact with each other in a narrow passage? To avoid each other, do you follow the right-hand rule? When meeting at intersections, do you need virtual traffic lights to ensure traffic efficiency and safety?” Ying Fuchen said, all these problems cannot be determined and solved by a company. The overall robot The efficiency of the group requires industry technical specifications, standards, and certifications to ensure that the robots of each manufacturer follow a set of rules (such as traffic rules, communication protocols, etc.) to ensure that the robots in the same scene can efficiently and orderly provide each Service, so that the industry can truly develop.
Ying Fuchen predicts that in the future, the number of robots around us may exceed the number of humans, and their functions and shapes are also different. If there are no supporting technical specifications to restrict robots, the development of their industry will also fall into chaos.
"The information label of which technical specifications the robot meets is also an important basis for human partners to judge whether the robot is suitable for the specified scene." Ying Fuchen said.
Ying Fuchen also emphasized the safety of service robots.
"A service robot with a robotic arm can be equivalent to a person with hands and feet. If it does not comply with the regulations, it can cause great harm. Therefore, we urgently need industry technical regulations."
Our reporter Ma Aiping