Why is a product studio working with robotics?
You walk into a building and instead of looking for reception or orientation signs, you are greeted by a robot. Every day, it guides visitors, checks the space and offers a new way to experience the building.
For the most biometric building in Europe, Innovatrics was looking for a solution that could help visitors navigate the space while also supporting regular checks of the premises. The result is an autonomous robot that works in a real building, among visitors and in situations that change throughout the day.
Product on the screen is not enough
Innovatrics has an open floor plan, multiple zones, several floors and a natural flow of people throughout the day. Visitors arrive looking for meeting rooms or the right floor. The operations team needs to keep track of the space and what is happening in it.
What if the solution could move through the building? Robotics is gradually becoming another way for technology to enter real processes. The robot has to work independently among people, in a physical space and in situations that keep changing.
A visitor might not be sure whether to wait or follow the robot. In that case, the robot checks its surroundings and if the person it is guiding is standing still, it prompts them to follow.
There are also situations where a visitor accidentally or intentionally enters a part of the building they should not be in. In that case, the robot uses its security function and assertively asks them to leave the area. Then it guides the visitor in the right direction.
A good product feels simple to the person using it. If the robot feels friendly, clear and natural from the outside, that is a sign of good UX. A system that can work among people without turning every interaction into a tech show is exactly what we wanted to achieve.
There were several possible solutions for Innovatrics. We could have added another sign, a kiosk, an internal process or more people. At wezeo, we do not look at solutions only through what can be built the fastest. We look at what makes sense in a specific space, for specific people and in situations that cannot be fully planned in advance.
More than technology
We call this way of thinking Beyond Technology.
Not because technology is not important. Quite the opposite. It is so important that it can’t be solved in isolation.
The robot is interesting on its own. But for us, what is even more interesting is what it shows about building products: different problems need different solutions, and good technology has to fit into the real environment, process and behaviour of people.
