VTT has kicked off the “Multi-purpose Service Robotics as Operator Business” (MURO) project with the following companies providing mobile robotics solutions, related software and B2B services: Avertas Robotics, Dimalog, GIM Robotics, K. Hartwall, KONE, Navitec Systems, Solteq, Telia and Trombia Technologies. The aim of the co-innovation project funded by Business Finland is to radically renew the service robotics business and to boost Finnish companies’ exports with MURO solutions developed in cooperation with the participating companies.
The MURO project aims to change the way service robots are sold, acquired and applied. According to the long-term vision of the consortium, service robots will be in shared use between several customer companies operating on the same premises, such as shopping malls, hotel/office complexes, industrial buildings, factories or mass transport hubs like airports. A novel business model enables customers to purchase MURO-enabled services from a third-party operator with one-stop shop principle related to, for example, material handling, cleaning, security surveillance, inspection, maintenance and customer service.
Multi-purpose robots, which are able to carry out a wider set of tasks compared to single-purpose robots, enable higher utilization rate and satisfactory return of investment for customers. R&D conducted in the project include topics such as robotic manipulation, motion control, simultaneous localization and mapping (SLAM), 3D capture and measurements, data utilization and visualization, and fleet management of heterogeneous MURO fleets. Hardware and software related R&D are combined in a fruitful way with customer, business, service and UX research perspectives in order to ensure successful commercialization of the developed solutions in the future.
The MURO project creates both “technology push” and “market pull”. It helps the fragmented robotics business field to grow and Finnish companies to reach global markets together. The MURO operator business model ensures that the robots are always technically reliable, safe and user friendly. It will increase credibility, trust and social acceptance towards mobile service robots operating in various fields of society.
The MURO project is a two-year project ongoing until 30 March, 2023. The total budget of the co-innovation project is app. EUR 4.9 million.
Stay tuned for more information and news on the developments in autumn 2021!
