Automation Canada - Robotic Integration Issue - 7

WHAT IS ROBOTS-AS-A-SERVICE (RaaS)?
BY BLAKE MARCHAND

Robots have been entering the service industry for years now at a
progressive pace. However, the need for increased physical distancing
and reduced points of interaction have increased the demand for
robots to act in service positions. And thankfully the need has come at a
time when technology is prepared to meet the demand.
Facilitated by the progression of cloud computing infrastructure,
'as-a-service' (RaaS) subscription models are gaining traction in several
different industries. From the outset, robotics seems to fit the
'as-a-service' model perfectly, particularly when it comes to making
mobile robots more accessible financially for small to medium sized
companies, as well as those that need to scale up and down quickly.
RaaS is ideal for service-oriented industries, as well as those like retail
and warehousing that have peak demand during which they may need
to scale up operations for a short period, as well as companies
experiencing rapid growth. There is also application in manufacturing
when it comes to quality control, palettizing and other labour related
tasks.
C A N A D I A N A U TO M AT I O N

Troubleshooting. cloud computing, maintenance, and repair are all
handled by the service provider. Some service providers may also
provide integration and deployment. For some applications,
pick-and-place for example, 'training' robots can be as simple as
physically guiding the robotic arm through the required movements.
Billing is conducted differently depending on the service provider.
Some charge annually or monthly, per-robot, per delivery/per pick, or
even per hour of operation. Essentially, RaaS is like hiring a robot
employee.
A financial consideration to note is that investing in robots or a robotic
system is 'capital' expense, while RaaS would likely fall under
'operational'. This may make the purchasing process shorter/easier,
and ideal for those that need to scale up quickly to meet demand.
Depending on the subscription model and organization, an RaaS
subscription may not require the same budgetary approval process.
Currently, the most prominent industries for RaaS are security,
warehousing, and healthcare. When it comes to security, robots can be
managed and deployed by a single operator and patrol a
building/property while also accumulating data to optimize
operations. This is how Cobalt Robotics explains how their system
works, " By constantly using machine learning, Cobalt robots build a
definition of what is normal in your space, escalating all anomalies to a
human analyst for resolution. "
Security is an example of an industry that has reached its 'tipping
point' when it comes to cost analysis between robots and employees.
Meaning the cost of a mobile robot option is equal to or lesser than the
cost of an employee. Which will be different for each industry and
application.
Hardware costs have come down enough - coupled with the
aforementioned availability of cloud-computing infrastructure - that
more industries are getting to the automation tipping point.
VOLUME 3, ISSUE 1

7
Automation Canada - Robotic Integration Issue

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