Lisha Qiu, International Brand Manager at Elephant Robotics, shared insights with SafetyDetectives about the company’s vision and contributions. Elephant Robotics, founded in 2016, focuses on robot development and intelligent manufacturing. Lisha discussed their impact across industries, especially in education, with products like myCobot reaching global universities. The interview highlighted Elephant Robotics’ strategies for cost-effective development, addressing regulatory challenges, and adapting to emerging technologies, including AI, machine vision, and human-machine interaction. The company aims to revolutionize industries with cutting-edge robotics technology, emphasizing efficiency, productivity, and safety.
Hi Lisha, can you introduce yourself and talk about your role at Elephant Robotics?
My name is Lisha Qiu, and I majored in Telecommunications Engineering and IT, spending 4 years in Melbourne. At Elephant Robotics, I initially served as an overseas content creator and social media operator before assuming the role of International Brand Manager. My responsibilities encompass overseas content creation, social media, e-commerce, and technical support for clients. Leveraging my background in international marketing and brand management, I’ve contributed to our global brand strategy, market expansion, and product positioning.
Talk to me about Elephant Robotics, when did it begin and what its mission?
Shenzhen Elephant Robotics Technology Co., Ltd. was founded in 2016 in Shenzhen, China. It is a Chinese high-tech enterprise that focuses on robot research and development, platform software development, and intelligent manufacturing services. The core team is composed of patriotic individuals who have studied abroad in countries such as the United Kingdom, the United States, and Australia. Currently, Elephant Robotics’ products and solutions have been widely used in multiple fields, including industry, commerce, education, and have been recognized by many enterprises.
Since our establishment, Elephant Robotics has established a foundation for an international vision and independent research and development. We were incubated by the global hardware incubator HAX and have successively received first-tier funding from Cloud Angel, SOSV, Orient Securities, Shenzhen Venture Capital, ZhenFund, and other top-level funds, which has greatly promoted our rapid growth in the global market. Our vision, “Enjoy Robots World,” focuses on enhancing both the joy of life and work efficiency. We have independently developed a range of robot products, including bionic robots such as MarsCat and metaCat, collaborative robots such as myCobot, myPalletizer, myAGV, mechArm, myArm, and ultraArm, as well as professional collaborative robots such as the P/C and myCobot Pro.
In recent years, we found that a single cobot arm is no longer sufficient to meet the needs of the education industry. As a result, we have continued to introduce different AI Kits and Compound Robot Kits”. In 2023, in order to provide more comprehensive support for the education industry, we launched the Robotics Education Solution, an integrated solution suitable for universities and laboratories.
Elephant Robotics pioneers innovative solutions in the robotics industry, specializing in the development of advanced robotic arms, robotic arm end-effectors, and bionic companion robotic pets. Our mission is to revolutionize industries by offering cutting-edge robotics technology that enhances efficiency, productivity, and safety across various sectors.
Which industries benefit from Elephant Robotics’ products?
Elephant Robotics’ products have a wide-ranging impact across various industries, including manufacturing, healthcare, logistics, education, and research. These sectors experience significant advantages from our robotic solutions in terms of automation, precision, and adaptability.
In practical application, our products have been instrumental in diverse scenarios crafted in collaboration with our clients and partners. We’ve witnessed our technology utilized in medical contexts, such as tumor treatment, as well as in food retail, enabling noodle, cocktail, and mocha making. Additionally, our robotics solutions have been employed in delivery services and modern service scenarios like head massage and arts creation. We are also actively exploring potential markets in retail hospitality, healthcare, and commercial sectors.
Over the past three years, we’ve introduced a diverse portfolio of products into the education market. For instance, our mainstream 6-axis cobot, myCobot, has become one of the best-selling robotic arms globally. Products like the desktop industrial arm, mechArm, cater well to AI labs and robotics education. We’ve also introduced a 4-axis robot called myPalletizer, the smallest dual-arm research cobots, mobile robots, and hybrid robots, specifically tailored for educational purposes. Each cobot configuration offers a variety of choices in main controllers and performance features.
Moreover, beyond the hardware, we’ve developed a comprehensive three-tier educational curriculum encompassing fundamental, tool-based, and application-oriented courses to support robotics lab setups. This educational material is designed to aid college professors and lecturers in teaching for different grades, different class sizes, different subjects and various curriculum hours. We’ve successfully reached 100 Chinese universities and 200 international universities. Through their engagement with our robotic products, many students aspire to pursue careers as robotics engineers or work within the robotics field upon graduation.
How does Elephant Robotics address the challenges of cost-effectiveness in the development of robotic arms and hands?
Our approach at Elephant Robotics to address the challenges of cost-effectiveness in developing robotic arms and hands involves leveraging our industrial technology expertise, allowing us to accumulate valuable experience and refine our development process, thereby shortening cycles and minimizing errors. Emphasizing modular designs, our robot modules boast high reusability, enabling most products to share these designs for easy replacement and maintenance. Additionally, our team comprises seasoned developers with deep industry backgrounds, ensuring a wealth of experience that contributes to our cost-effective development strategies.
These strategies help Elephant Robotics address the challenges of cost-effectiveness in developing robotic arms and hands by leveraging technology accumulation, modular designs for reusability, and experienced developers within the industry.
As the use of robotics becomes more widespread, what are some potential regulatory challenges and standards that the industry needs to address?
As the use of robotics expands, several regulatory challenges and standards require industry attention. Safety, ethical considerations, and standardization are key focal points. Collaborative efforts are essential to establish guidelines addressing safety protocols, ethical usage, and standardized practices, ensuring the responsible and safe integration of robotics across diverse domains.
Regulatory challenges encompass a spectrum of legalities, including import/export regulations, taxation, and intellectual property standards, varying across nations and regions. These factors profoundly impact global expansion strategies and product sales. To navigate these complexities, thorough pre-expansion research on laws and regulations is imperative. Collaborations with local legal teams help ensure the legality and compliance of our products and operations within these regions.
Furthermore, the need for localization and customization in response to distinct market demands and legal frameworks across different countries and regions is apparent. This necessitates a global focus on formulating reasonable regulations to accommodate the future widespread application of robots and robotic arms. Adapting product designs, customizing functionalities, and tailoring service models to meet diverse market requirements underscores the importance of forward-thinking regulations that foster innovation while ensuring compliance within various jurisdictions.
What trends and emerging technologies do you believe will have the most significant impact on the future of robotics?
The trends and emerging technologies impacting robotics include advancements in Artificial Intelligence (AI), Machine Vision, Motion Control, Human-Machine Interaction, and New Materials/Sensors. These advancements greatly influence our product development and market strategies at Elephant Robotics, allowing us to offer more advanced, intelligent, and practical robotics solutions to meet evolving market needs.
- Artificial Intelligence Technology: AI technology holds tremendous potential in the field of robotics, including machine learning, deep learning, natural language processing, and more. We focus on the continuous development of AI technology, especially its application in robotics perception, cognition, and decision-making, to enhance the intelligence and autonomy of robots.
- Machine Vision Technology: Machine vision technology is increasingly prevalent in robotics, encompassing image recognition, object detection, 3D reconstruction, and more. We pay attention to the development of machine vision technology, particularly its application in robotics navigation, environment perception, and visual interaction, to enhance the perception and interaction capabilities of robots.
- Motion Control Technology: Motion control technology is crucial in the field of robotics, covering trajectory planning, motion control algorithms, sensor fusion, and more. We focus on the continual innovation and improvement of motion control technology to enhance the motion precision, speed, and stability of robots.
- Human-Machine Interaction Technology: Human-machine interaction technology is a significant research area in robotics, including speech recognition, gesture recognition, emotion recognition, and more. We monitor the ongoing development of human-machine interaction technology to enhance communication and interaction between robots and human users, making robots more user-friendly and accessible.
- New Materials and Sensor Technology: The application of new materials and sensor technology is increasingly important in robotics, including flexible materials, high-performance sensors, robotic skins, and more. We focus on the innovation and application of new materials and sensor technology to enhance the mechanical performance, sensing capabilities, and interaction abilities of robots.
These technological advancements significantly impact Elephant Robotics’ product development and market promotion. We will continue to monitor and apply the latest technological achievements to provide more advanced, intelligent, and practical robotic products.