Service robots automate recurring service, delivery, and transport tasks in companies. They move food, drinks, dishes, or other suitable goods between defined points and, depending on the model, can additionally display information, engage with guests, or guide visitors through buildings. Especially in gastronomy, the hotel industry, retail, office buildings, and other service-intensive areas, autonomous service robots reduce unnecessary walking distances and support employees with standardizable routine activities.
Terra Robotics offers various solutions for this from PUDU Robotics and OrionStar. The portfolio ranges from the classic service robot with open trays to compact service and marketing robots, and even closed delivery robots for floors and internal deliveries.
Service robots for restaurants and gastronomy
Gastronomy is one of the best-known areas of application for service robots. Particularly during peak times, numerous recurring trips are made between the kitchen, serving area, dining room, and dish return station.
The PUDU BellaBot Pro is designed specifically for such service processes. Multiple open trays enable the transport of food, drinks, or dishes, while the robot navigates autonomously between defined handover points. Service staff remain responsible for taking orders, providing advice, and personal guest interaction, while the robot supports recurring walking paths.
The OrionStar LuckiBot Pro is also designed for service and delivery tasks in the gastronomy and hotel industries. Depending on the use case, multiple trays can be used, and transport can be combined with additional display and interaction functions.
Further application possibilities can be found in the Gastronomy & Hotel sector.
PUDU HolaBot for clearing and return transport
It is not just the delivery of food that can be supported. After service, used dishes, trays, and other items must be transported back.
The PUDU HolaBot is designed for such collection and return transport processes. Instead of mapping classic service routes toward guests, its focus is on high transport volume and recurring return routes. This allows it to be used, for example, between the dining room, return point, and dishwashing area.
Especially in canteens, larger restaurants, hotels, or event areas, service robots and collection robots can complement each other effectively.
Service robots for hotels and floor service
Hotels have different requirements than restaurants. In addition to gastronomy, internal delivery routes are created between the lobby, kitchen, storage, reception, and guest floors.
The PUDU FlashBot Max was developed for autonomous in-house and floor deliveries. Closed compartments allow for defined handovers, while technical elevator integration can enable independent movement between floors, depending on the building and project.
This makes such a delivery robot suitable for room service, smaller internal deliveries, or recurring transport within larger buildings. Whether elevators, doors, or other building technology can be integrated must always be checked based on the existing infrastructure.
KettyBot Pro for service, promotion, and retail
In retail, the focus is often on communication with customers alongside transport. Here, service robots with displays can take on additional functions.
The PUDU KettyBot Pro combines mobile service functions with a large display, making it suitable for promotion, customer engagement, and digital content. Internally, this model is classified particularly for gastronomy and retail when transport and visible communication are to be combined.
In supermarkets and retail, such systems can supplement information, promotions, or orientation options, for example. For applications with an even stronger focus on advertising, specialized marketing robots are also available.
Service robots for offices and internal deliveries
Office buildings also offer potential for service automation. Recurring trips arise, for example, from catering, internal deliveries, mail, documents, or materials between different areas.
Compact service robots can take over such defined routes, provided paths, elevators, and handover points are suitable. Models with closed compartments are particularly interesting when items should not be transported openly on a tray.
For the visitor area, reception robots can be used in addition. This allows for a clear distinction between internal transport and customer- or visitor-oriented information.
Further examples can be seen in the Office application area.
PuduBot 2 and flexible service robots
Not every application requires closed compartments, large displays, or special marketing functions. For classic delivery and service routes, simpler platforms may be more sensible.
The PUDU PuduBot 2 is a flexible delivery robot for various service tasks and is categorized internally for gastronomy, hotel, and retail.
Especially with clearly defined travel routes, such a robot can be an economical alternative if primary transport capacity and reliable navigation are required.
Which service robot suits your company?
The selection should always be based on the actual process. For restaurants, open trays and short handover times are often decisive. Hotels, on the other hand, may require closed compartments and technical elevator integration for floor deliveries. In retail, displays, customer interaction, and compact dimensions play a larger role.
The most important selection criteria include the goods to be transported, load capacity, number and size of trays or compartments, passage widths, travel routes, duration of use, and necessary building integration.
The desired human contact should also be considered. A pure transport robot requires different functions than a system that is also intended to inform customers or present promotions.
Navigation and safe operation in public areas
Service robots often move in environments with guests, employees, and changing obstacles. Depending on the model, LiDAR, cameras, VSLAM, and other sensors are used for navigation and obstacle detection.
Before commissioning, maps, travel routes, stop points, and restricted zones are set up. Especially in narrow restaurants, highly frequented sales areas, or buildings with several floors, the real environment should be checked in advance.
The technology does not replace professional operational planning. Passage widths, pedestrian traffic, doors, and handover points must be compatible with the respective robot model.
Evaluating service robots economically
Whether a service robot is economically worthwhile depends primarily on the number of recurring trips and the labor time tied up by them. Processes where employees make many similar transport trips daily are particularly interesting.
With the ROI calculator for service and transport robots, companies can compare labor time, usage frequency, and investment for an initial economic assessment.
In addition to a classic purchase, leasing, hire purchase, or Robot as a Service are also options, depending on the project.
Introducing service robots with Terra Robotics
Terra Robotics supports companies from the selection of the suitable robot to on-site setup. This involves analyzing walking paths, transport tasks, passage widths, handover points, and potential technical integrations.
Subsequently, routes can be established, robots tested, and employees trained. For multiple devices or more complex locations, digital platforms and Terra Cloud can become relevant for central management and robotics operation.
This allows for the targeted selection of the service robot that fits the actual process – from models like the PUDU BellaBot Pro, KettyBot Pro, PuduBot 2, HolaBot, FlashBot Max, or OrionStar LuckiBot Pro – for everything from classic restaurant service to hotel and floor logistics, to retail, office, and internal transport tasks.
