Wave Bot: Revolutionizing Daily Life with Artificial Intelligence

Te Zhang, Chen Wei, and Ning Wang's Intelligent Service Robot

The inspiration behind Wave Bot stems from the growing presence of robots in our daily lives. The designers recognized the potential for robots to perform simple, repetitive tasks, thereby saving time, reducing operating costs, and improving efficiency. Their expertise in Simultaneous Localization and Mapping (SLAM), voice and face recognition, and a commitment to elegant design and seamless user experience, led to the creation of Wave Bot.

Wave Bot stands out with its advanced SLAM technology, accurate face recognition, natural voice interaction, and video cloud integration. It is designed to function as a fully autonomous assistant in offices, libraries, museums, and stores, taking on roles such as a front desk receptionist, meeting and telepresence assistant, and security guard. The design process involved the use of foam board layouts in the early phase, CAD tools for surface and mechanical design, and several prototypes developed through CNC and 3D printing processes.

Wave Bot is not just a static piece of technology; it is designed to interact intelligently with its environment. It moves, sees, listens, thinks, and speaks, much like a human being. While it operates autonomously, it can also be controlled via a control pad, smartphone application, web control panel, and voice. Its deployment in an office setting can significantly reduce costs, improve efficiency, and bring intelligence to the workspace.

The project began in November 2015 in Shenzhen and concluded in December 2016 in Beijing. It was later exhibited at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas in January 2017. The design process was backed by extensive quantitative and qualitative research, including hundreds of field interviews and weeks of video recording. The research aimed to identify market trends, basic needs in offices, retail stores, and libraries, and tasks suitable for robots to accomplish.

Despite the challenges faced during the design process, such as creating an elegant yet futuristic look and overcoming mechanical challenges, the team persevered. They went through over ten prototypes, three stages of CAD models, and tested five different designs. After two months in the factory, they found the perfect color, material, and finish combination to showcase their original design intent. Wave Bot was awarded Platinum in A' Digital and Electronic Device Design Award in 2017, recognizing its world-class, exceptional, and highly innovative design.