AsiaIndustrial NetNews: 2016 forRobotIt’s been a booming year for startups. 128 companies received financing, with a total amount of US$1.95 billion, a year-on-year increase of 50%. In addition to investments in startups, there were 50 mergers and acquisitions worth $19 billion.
Robots are divided intoindustryRobots and service robots. In the industrial field, the demographic dividend has disappeared, labor costs have increased, and machine replacement has gradually become an industry consensus; in the professional and household fields, with the continuous maturity of artificial intelligence, big data, Internet of Things, cloud computing and other technologies, service robots are gradually being used. Catering, medical, education, finance, logistics and other industries.
The “Small Boat Interaction” to be introduced today is a company specializing in the R&D and design of service robots. Founder and CEO Liao Jiangjun introduced to 36氪 that its first lightweight service robot “Coke Robot” has achieved mass production. “Coke Robot” has commercial service functions, advertising Display, welcome interaction, queuing, singing and dancing, introduction and guidance, and can be widely used in restaurants, shopping malls, business halls, hotels, exhibition halls, banks, families and other places.
If the robot wants to land quickly, it usually starts from the B side. The B-end market demand is direct, and service robots are easier to commercialize. At present, the application scenarios of “Coke Robot” are mainly offline stores. Liao Jiangjun said that “Coke Robot” can realize the combination of online and offline new retail, and the biggest feature of new retail lies in experiential services, which are embodied in three experience changes:
The traditional chat between shopping guides and customers is targeted. The “Coke robot” can play the role of welcoming guests, shopping guides, and customer service in the guiding mode; the second is the data mode. After accumulating a certain amount of data, it can conduct accurate user portraits and Traffic analysis, the introduction of personalized services, refined operations and precision marketing; finally, the payment model, the way consumers pay for the payment will change, such as fingerprints, iris, etc.
In addition, the “Coke Robot” also has functions such as voice interaction, communication, and security protection. Security protection refers to remote monitoring, automatic cruise, location positioning, etc., which can be applied in scenarios such as smart communities and accompanying the elderly. Liao Jiangjun said that the C-end is not the focus at this stage, but in the future, it will first go deep into the community, connect with the surrounding retail stores, and then gradually enter the family, becoming a platform that connects all parties from brand stores, communities to families.
For Robotics startups, the supply chain is a conundrum. On the one hand, robots are new products, and some components are not common in the market; on the other hand, most factories are reluctant to produce if the volume is not large enough. Liao Jiangjun said that in March last year, “Small Boat Interactive” had cooperated with a well-known manufacturer in Zhejiang to set up a factory in Taizhou, which solved the problem of mass production.
The “Coke Robot” is characterized by being lightweight, 1 meter tall and less than 15 pounds. Light performance and flexible movement. The price is 8,000 yuan, which is lower than the price of commercial robots in the industry, and the gross profit is 30%-50%. In terms of profit model, in addition to the sales of the product itself, it also provides customized services, such as the sale of SAAS software packages, and merchants can independently choose to conduct marketing and supply chain management. When enough points are laid, advertising is also an important source of revenue.
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