Enhancing the OTSAW Camello Robot through the Addition of a Robotic Arm System

  1. Benefits

This section of the report introduces how the enhancements of integrating the robotic arm and software benefit the OTSAW and delivery companies.

3.1 Improved User Experience 

The use of the software and robotic arm enhances OTSAW’s delivery robot which will help provide a better user experience. The current delivery robots are unable to provide a door-to-door delivery service since they require the end consumers to collect their delivered items at the ground level. Being able to deliver to the end consumer’s doorstep will reduce their hassle and provide convenience to the end users.

3.2 Safety Improvement 

During an interview done by Channel News Asia “among 12 delivery riders all except one said that they have either been involved in accidents or experienced close shaves on their deliveries” (Lim & Ong, 2022). With the autonomous robot making the deliveries, delivery riders will reduce the need for delivery riders to rush to meet their delivery orders, furthermore, the delivery robot is weatherproof which allows deliveries to not be affected by poor weather. Therefore with the improvements, the enhanced delivery robot will be able to provide similar services of making doorstep delivery without compromising the user experience. 

3.3 Improved Reliability 

The use of the delivery robot will help ease the manpower crunch, replacing the need for delivery personnel to provide delivery with higher reliability. This was evident during March 2022 it was reported by The Straits Times that there was a high number of coronavirus cases spreading, which led to a manpower crunch, delaying delivery orders (Tan, 2022).  With the use of the enhanced features on the delivery robots, the manpower of the delivery companies can be better managed.


3.4 Cost Saving 

The enhancement to the OTSAW delivery robot will also be able to reduce the cost. From The Straits Times, the average delivery rider will be earning $21 per hour with the use of the delivery robots (“$7k a Month as a Food Delivery Rider?” 2020), which allows finances to be used on focusing more on further improvements and enhancements to the OTSAW delivery robot. 



  1. Background 

This section of the report introduces the current delivery robots that are in use in Singapore.The functions and components of a Robotic Arm and the uses of Artificial Intelligence. 

  1. Existing Delivery Robots


Whizz Mobility is a student start-up company in Singapore by a group of university students. The delivery robot by Whizz Mobility is a semi-autonomous self-driving vehicle that operates within Nanyang Technology University as shown in Figure 1. Backend operators control them to accept orders, the consumer will then receive a notification for collection upon arrival of their delivery. The top speed of the Whizz Mobility robot is 5km/h. They require a team of 17 students, one robot supervisor and one recovery team per shift during operational hours (Robots Deliver Food, 2021). 



Figure 1

Whizz Mobility Operating In Nanyang Technological University 

Note. The figure shows the Whizz delivery robot in operation. From Todayonline, 2022 


OTSAW is a Singapore-based robotic company 2015 which has past developments of robots to assist labour-intensive jobs such as security, delivery, cleaning and the healthcare sectors. OTSAW’s Camello is a delivery robot, it has a storage space of 100L and can carry a payload of 20 kg, top speed of 5km/h and has 3 hours of run time (Tan, 2021). The Camello is the first delivery robot to pass safety assessments done by the Land Transport Authority (LTA), allowing the autonomous vehicle to operate on public footpaths (Tham, 2021). With this approval given by LTA, OTSAW will have the potential to develop and grow.

 

A trial was also conducted with Infocomm Media Development Authority (IMDA) and government agencies such as Housing and Development Board(HDB), the Land Transport Authority (LTA), and Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA). Involves the local’s largest supermarket chain in Singapore, the National Trades Union Congress (NTUC) FairPrice and local logistics provider CM Logistics to deliver parcels, groceries, and food to their customers as shown in Figure 2 where the products are stored in  (Tham, 2021).


OTSAW have also tested their autonomous delivery robot with food delivery company, Foodpanda with plans to reach out to more locations in Singapore (Tan, 2021). 




Figure 2

Camello Delivery Robot Storage Space

Note. The figure shows the storage area of the Camello Robot. From Mothership,2021 

  1. Robotic Arm and Mechanical Components

Robotic arms are used widely in industrial, medical and military to execute tasks that are repetitive, precise and dangerous. Some of these robotic arms are attached to mobile robots, where the robots can move around and complete tasks such as picking and placing objects. An example would be the Boston Dynamics Spot Arm, shown in figure 3, where the robotic arm is attached to a Boston Dynamics Spot robot to perform tasks semi-autonomously, such as turning valves, flipping levers and opening doors (Boston Dynamics, n.d.). 

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