Hong Kong, 14 March 2023 - RV Technology, a Hong Kong based robotic applications and systems developer, announces the official launch of ARCS - a self-developed Agnostic Robotic Control System powered by Microsoft Azure’s cloud technology. As a member of Hong Kong Science and Technology Park Corporation (HKSTP)’s Leading Enterprises Acceleration Programme (LEAP), RV Technology has proudly gained HKSTP’s full support, allowing them to set up its office and an automated smart warehouse - RobEX Centre in the campus. During today’s press conference in Hong Kong Science Park, RV Technology introduced how ARCS can manage and control different robots from multiple brands, and provided a platform for ARCS-managed robots to demonstrate tasks in different scenarios.
Work automation has gained its popularity in recent years, with widen robotic application in our daily lives to free up human labor through highly efficient execution abilities. Yet, agnostic platforms to coordinate and control robots of different brands, functions and systems were absent, keeping our robots away from creating synergy in its most efficient way possible. Meanwhile, intensifying community issues such as an aging population and declining birth rates further widened the local workforce gap, there is thus an urgency for the society to proactively explore alternative approaches in maximizing the potential of robots, which in turn elevates our quality of life, especially for those with lower self-care ability such as the elderlies elders and the sick. On the other hand, as environment, society and governance (ESG) subjects become more prominent, organizations increased their investment in sustainability and environmental research, in order to look for solutions that can boost energy efficiency through robotic technologies.
RV Technology is committed to developing a variety of robotic solutions that tackle specific challenges, with an ultimate goal to integrate these technologies into our daily lives and support different sectors such as healthcare, smart city, logistics and education. With the vision of turning Hong Kong into a smart city, RV Technology developed ARCS with the cloud technology empowered by Microsoft Azure. Today, ARCS is adopted in the fields of rehabilitation and healthcare, providing more autonomous and refined care services, as well as easing the burden of healthcare professionals with the help of smart technologies.
Rio Chau, CEO of RV Technology says, “Leveraging on the ARCS’ centralized control system, we expect shorter lead times for programming and integration of different robots, alongside higher flexibility in synchronization, bringing efficiency and convenience benefits to a wider spectrum in our everyday lives. We strive to create a more livable and promising future, and keep looking into comprehensive environmental solutions through systematic data mining in support of the city’s sustainable development.”
Not only can ARCS help enterprises and organizations to improve efficiency and save cost, its distinctive feature of centralized management also smoothen the process of data management and analysis, by resolving the isolation deadlock of different types of robots. In the foreseeable future, ARCS will be able to integrate artificial intelligence to cater to different scenarios, create the most suitable application plans, and provide tailor-made suggestions derived through analysis on environmental data collected by robots, bringing sustainability performance of corporations and organizations to the next level.
During the press conference, RV Technology demonstrated a series of collaborative tasks performed by ARCS-managed robots under three simulated scenes: the first is applicable to the retail and catering industry - when a store receives an online order, ARCS immediately obtains data from elevators and turnstiles through the Internet of Things (IoT), and delivers the product to the customer through managed robot; the second scene works for public places with heavier traffic such as malls and hospitals - when a patrol robot detects mass gathering, ARCS can coordinate and send the concierge robot with its camera open for a livestream, which helps users have a grasp of the incident with a minimized reaction time, while simultaneously instructing the patrol robot to resume its original task; the third scene is designed for the disabled in various public venues - ARCS remotely controls the wheelchair robot, allowing one or a group of robots to carry those in need safely to their destinations. In addition, RV Technology also showcased the use of ARCS to analyze centralized data, illustrating the system’s capability to streamline data collection and analysis process, as well as its great potential incorporating the use of business intelligence.
“At Microsoft, we strive to build diverse communities and empower innovation for inclusion and sustainability. We are thrilled to be part of RV Technology's first-of-a-kind integrated people-centric robotic application ARCS’ development journey,” said Kelvin Tse, Director of Global Partner Solutions, Microsoft Hong Kong. “Today, we are pleased to witness the launch of ARCS powered by Microsoft Azure. By leveraging Azure’s scalability, RV Technology is empowered with the flexibility to scale up the size of its solution to address different business or social scenarios and create infinite possibilities. We see ARCS has the potential to elevate the quality of life for people in need; we look forward to continue working with them and empowering society through technology.”
