Social Distancing Robot in the Horeca

Project description

A robot for the hospitality industry that delivers drinks and food.

Context

People who come in contact with many others are potential super infectants. Examples that we think of are people who deliver orders in a restaurant or on a terrace, or who distribute meals in a hospital or nursing home. These are tasks that a robot could take over. Robot might help us in social distancing. Also, a shortage of staff might be a reason to exploit a robot in the Horeca. Horeca robots are already on the market, but they are either expensive to purchase or limited in functionality. The professionally deployable solutions also require a high level of technological infrastructure and specialist personnel. Fontys student groups have already specified the robot for its mechanical and software. However, it is not quiet finished. Especially the navigation is a challenge that still has to be solved as well as avoiding collisions with persons or other moving objects. In addition to the robot itself a guest, employee and admin has been developed. An interface has been defined between the robot and the employee app. The employee app shares the floor map with the robot. It is used to show the delivery stations (tables), the location of the robot and where the robot(s) currently is (are). The guest app is used by guests who want to order food and drinks. The robot will have to work both indoors and outdoors and delivers orders at the customer's table.

Results

The robot now drives