Innovation: they are already part of the team of employees of several restaurants. But soon, they risk multiplying on the job market in different activities, notably in the delivery of meals to rooms in hotels and even being an integral part of the animation service of residences for seniors.
At least that’s the bet made by the young Quebec company Fractal Robotic Solutions which, although recently founded, is already attracting attention with Henri, Winston, Bingo, Olive and Peanut, new genre robots. What sets them apart? A range of new features allowing robots to operate outside of a restaurant dining room.
“The company’s mission is to be able to bring the benefits of robotics to all industries,” explains Jean-Michel Lemaire, president and co-founder of Fractal Robotics Solutions, whose offices are located in Sherbrooke. “Foodservice is just starting to learn about robotics and other industries are starting to open their minds,” adds the graduate of a bachelor’s degree in robotics engineering.
Thus, like those observed over the past year in several restaurants, the robots of Mr. Lemaire and his team obviously have the skills to bring plates to the tables. They are already doing this in a seniors’ residence in Joliette. But Henri, the new service employee, has several strings to his bow. He can take the elevator independently thanks to a communication system linked to the elevator panel. Result: the robot can bring meals to the rooms.
“Sometimes, the resident absolutely wants to eat at 11:15 a.m., but with the lack of labor, it is difficult to deliver at the exact time,” explains Jean-Michel Lemaire. The robot therefore ensures a reliable service.
Hotels, some of which no longer offer in-room meal service due to lack of resources, could also be interested in adding a robot to their team.
Fractal Robotic Solutions is already working to extend the list of tasks that its proteges can accomplish. “Some residences have a small convenience store. It might be possible to call the front desk and order a bag of chips. The convenience store employee hands it over to the robot, which then takes care of mounting it to the correct room. »
“We could also have a robot that goes around the rooms to remind residents that there will be an activity in 15 minutes,” adds Mr. Lemaire.
In some events, the robots could also serve bites and cocktails.
“The idea is to think about scenarios where they can be most useful. »
Eventually, the robots will have to talk and maybe even… make jokes.
Moreover, the company, which currently has six employees, is already arousing the curiosity of several potential customers. And the phone starts ringing, says Mr. Lemaire.
With Henri’s hiring in a seniors’ residence, the Fractal Robotic Solutions team has learned a lot about the challenges that await them. “There is nothing simpler than operating the robot. It took us maybe two days to make sure it was working properly. But the human side was quite a challenge. »
Getting him accepted by staff was not so easy, admits Mr. Lemaire. Nearly one in two employees found the idea interesting, some were completely indifferent and others clearly showed reluctance.
Thus, he realized the importance of explaining to employees that the robot is there to give them a helping hand. And if he doesn’t meet the requirements, he will lose his “job.”
On the other hand, the residents welcomed Henri with open arms. The perception that seniors are resistant to change and technology is completely unfounded, according to Mr. Lemaire.
“That’s not what’s happening. They are generally more curious and show greater open-mindedness than other age groups. »
Their first reaction: “A robot! What’s his name ? In Joliette, they took the liberty of renaming Henri. “Residents started calling her Germaine. »
