Robots have become inseparable from industries like manufacturing and logistics. As automation becomes ever more widespread, those that don’t automate could fall behind the competition. Robots as a service (RaaS) aims to democratize automation, helping these smaller businesses experience all the benefits of robotics while avoiding its drawbacks.
The cloud robotics industry, which includes RaaS, was worth $3.3 billion in 2019 and could grow to $157.8 billion by 2030. That would account for almost a third of the total robotics sector’s entire worth. Here’s a closer look at robots as a service and why it‘s gaining popularity.
What Is RaaS?
Robots as a service takes the same approach as software as a service (SaaS) and applies it to robotics. In this model, customers wouldn’t buy robotic systems outright to use and maintain for their entire lifecycle. Instead, they rent robots and their capabilities through a cloud-based subscription service.
RaaS goes beyond simple equipment leasing, too. The cloud service through which companies access these robots provides data reporting and programming tools. With this service, renters can program robots to work in a given environment and access as many or as few capabilities as they need.
Right now, security, hospitality, delivery, and medical care make up the largest use cases for RaaS. It will likely see more use in other industries as these services grow and more companies realize their benefits. What are a few of those advantages?
Lower Costs
The most evident benefit of robots as a service is that it lowers expenses. Traditionally, automation comes at a high price, standing as a significant obstacle in the way of broader adoption. In a 2018 survey, 53% of business leaders cited the costs as one of their top five challenges with robotics, more than any other factor.
In RaaS, customers don’t buy robots outright, lowering the upfront cost of implementation. Since these robots are flexible by design, companies also don’t have to spend as much on training them to fit in a specific work environment. Ease of use further reduces related expenses by minimizing workflow disruptions.
With an RaaS model, renters don’t bear the weight of ongoing maintenance costs. Maintenance tasks fall to the vendor, not the user, which keeps renters’ expenses to a minimum.
Reduced Infrastructure Needs
Another common barrier to robotics adoption that RaaS eliminates is the need for extensive compatible infrastructure. Implementing traditional robots requires companies to have the computing and utility infrastructure to support robots’ complex computational needs. Since RaaS bots operate on the cloud, they don’t come with these requirements.
RaaS customers don’t need to supply extensive on-site computing infrastructure because the vendor handles those needs through the cloud. As a result, smaller companies with fewer on-site resources can still implement high-end robotics. In addition to speeding the implementation process, removing this barrier further reduces costs.
The nature of RaaS requires vendors to supply robots that are more flexible than standard solutions. This further reduces infrastructure needs since these machines will require less hardware to implement into a given task.
Increased Scalability
RaaS also makes robotics more scalable, which has traditionally been a stumbling point for robots. High upfront costs, disruptions from implementation, and the threat of asset deterioration and obsolescence hinder scalability in traditional automation. The lower-cost, more flexible model of RaaS eliminates these concerns.
Companies today can automate a vast range of tasks, paving the way for large-scale robotics implementation. There are hundreds of robot models with varying capabilities that industrial facilities can employ. RaaS makes scaling up to that level a possibility through the ease of the cloud.
RaaS cloud services would reveal where companies could automate further and which machines could do the job. As they scale up, the lower upfront costs and quicker implementation processes minimize disruptions. If the renter needs to scale back, they could do so without disruption, too, since they would return machines to the vendor.
Improved Accessibility of Newer Robots
Robotics is a rapidly advancing industry. As a result, old machines may become obsolete. Organizations that own their robots outright would have to find somewhere to sell their old machines, likely at a considerable loss, before buying expensive new ones. RaaS makes this upgrading more accessible.
As newer options become available, RaaS customers can exchange their old machines for new alternatives from the same vendor. Upgrading is only a matter of paying a higher fee, which will still be lower than buying a new robot outright. In some instances, companies may even be able to download new capabilities to current machines through the cloud.
With this level of flexibility, businesses can experience the benefits of high-end robots without the disruption and costs typically associated with upgrading. Concerns over obsolescence will fade, and companies with small budgets can still stay at the forefront of robotics.
Lower Expertise Barrier for Entry
Another obstacle to robotics adoption is the expertise required to program and implement them. In 2017, 35% of supply chain executives said their largest barrier to robotics adoption was not knowing where or how to start. Implementing any robots in traditional ownership models can be complicated, requiring extensive knowledge and expertise, but that’s not so in RaaS.
RaaS shifts the burden of expertise to the vendor, just as it does with infrastructure. The cloud services through which companies operate their robots contain the tools they need to program and control their new systems. This simplifies the programming process, so workers of any experience level can understand it.
The flexible designs of RaaS bots remove the need to modify workflows to incorporate them, as well. Any company, regardless of prior expertise in robotics, can implement robots into their operations.
Robots as a Service May Be the Future of Robotics
RaaS makes automation a more affordable, accessible, and flexible endeavor. As a result, more companies will be able to experience the benefits of robotics, staying competitive in modern markets. As more businesses grow to understand its advantages, RaaS could become the norm, just as SaaS has for software.
