Robotics Blog

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Start up Idea: Golf driving range ball pickerbot

Problem: Thousands of balls are hit a day at golf driving ranges, and those balls are collected during the off-hour. The operation in the off-hour reduces the open hours which results in an opportunity cost or directly increases the labor cost for the additional work.

Solution: I propose to program the Fetch robot to pick up balls autonomously. It builds the map of the driving range by SLAM algorithm and uses computer vision algorithms to recognize golf balls. It picks up balls and put them in an attached bag. The grass should be cut short so that the robot can operate safely.

Evidence for the problem and feasibility of the solution: I interviewed a friend of mine who works in driving range as a part time. He told me that “some driving ranges hire part time to have them pick up balls by hand, and others install machinery which can be attached to an automobile.”

He said the part-time wage is 1200 JPY/hr which is about 11 USD/hr. The ball is collected by two part-timers in 2 hours every day, resulting in a cost of about $16,000 a year. He didn’t know the price of the machinery and the automobiles, but it’s estimated to be at least $20,000 including both of them. The recurring cost for the driver, the insurance and the gas is added on top of this, so the estimated total cost is the initial $20,000 + $12,000 a year.

In both cases, the use of Fetch robot has an advantage after the 6th year, but it does not take account of the risk and cost to manage the human resource, which is actually quite big. With the management cost, I assume installing a robot is beneficial in 3 years. Therefore, the proposed method is feasible in terms of the cost efficiency.

Fetch is designed as an indoor robot, but as long as the grass is cut short, it should be able to operate in a driving range. If the robot is protected well, it can collect balls even during the operating hours. Under this condition, we can use computer vision algorithms on the RGB camera input to recognize golf balls. If the ball collection needs to be done during the night, it can use a range finder to detect balls.

[koar8470-blog]

Start up idea: Clothes store pickerbot

Problem: There are many fitting rooms at large fast-fashion stores such as H&M, UNIQLO, and Gap, and usually 1 to 3 staffs are there to return items back to where they were and bring items of different sizes for customers. For staffs, it’s time-consuming to go back and forth between the fitting room and clothes lacks while responding customer’s various demands. For customers, it’s uncomfortable to ask staffs to change the size of item again and again.

Solution: I propose to program the Fetch robot to return/get items of different sizes to/from clothes lack to help customers to find the size that fits them best easily. The clothes lack will be designed so that the clothes can be readily reached by the robot. Hanger lacks would be good. The order by the customers are taken by a tablet attached in the fitting room, and it will be sent to the robot. Easy tasks, like just trying one size up, can be done by voice command.

Evidence for the problem and feasibility of the solution: I interviewed several customers and a staff at UNIQLO at the Bellevue square. Here are some selected quotes from them:

“It’s troublesome that I have to wear my own clothes back on every time I try other size or item because there may be an interaction with a staff. It’d be nice if a robot can bring other clothes for me, and I can stay naked in the booth.” (Customer A)

“I enjoy talking with staffs and having comments from them, so I don’t need a robot.” (Customer B)

“There are so many tasks and human resource is never enough. The tasks include getting different sizes/items, folding tried clothes and return to the lack, taking orders of alteration, checking the stock, and so on. If a robot could help any part of these tasks, I could use more time for customers.” (Staff)

There are certain demands for the pickerbot, although some of the customers feel don’t need it. However, if robots are used in the workplace, staffs would have more time per customer. As a result, the robot is beneficial even for those who don’t find the need for it for now.

The average wage for the staff is approximately 14 dollars. So if 2 staffs are working at the fitting room constantly, it costs 2*14[dollar]*8[dollar/hr] = 224[dollar/day]. Assuming the store is open for 360 days a year, the yearly running cost is, 224[dollar/day]*360[day] = $80,640. Therefore, the robot can be installed for the cost of two people for one year. Considering that the robot doesn’t need as much cost after the initial investment, this solution is very feasible in terms of the cost efficiency.

The store design may need to be optimized for robots. IKEA is a good example. There may be sample exhibition area and stock area. The samples are hanged on racks and the location of the items and racks are programmed in robots so that they are easily reached by robots. Once a customer decides to purchase an item, the robot goes to the stock area and move the item to a bag. When the customer finishes shopping, he/she can pick up the bag and pay at the register. The list of items is already stored in the database, so it’s quick.

[koar8470-blog]

BEETL is a new autonomous robot that roams your back yard and cleans up after your furry friend.

Company name: Beetl Robot

Robot name/type: Beetl, a mobile robot

Problem/opportunity: Dogs are cute, but their wastes are dirty. It smells bad If dog poops are left in the backyard for a long time, and what is worse, people might step on it. However, picking up dog poops is not the most enjoyable part of having a pet. It is dirty and time-consuming. It would be nice if dog wastes are collected and composted for gardening automatically while you are doing something else, like playing with your dog for instance.

Solution: Beetl Robot develops the robot named Beetl which build the map of the backyard automatically and roams around there to pick up dog wastes. It keeps backyard clean and saves people from unpleasant jobs.