YYForce has announced the commercial deployment of 11 autonomous service robots at the Novotel Singapore on Stevens and the Mercure Singapore on Stevens. Connected to the hotels’ elevators and phone system, the robots handle room deliveries under a 24-month contract.
YYForce Inc., listed on Nasdaq under the ticker YFOR, specialises in staffing and facilities management. It is now expanding into hotel automation. Its new robotic system operates in two hotels located in the same complex in Singapore. The stated aim is to cut down on repetitive trips by staff and make it easier to move items and services around the buildings.
How the robots use the elevators to deliver to rooms
The system relies on specialised service robots built into the day-to-day operations of both hotels. According to YYForce, they handle internal logistics tasks, including deliveries to guests and trips between floors.
They work by connecting to the buildings’ technical equipment. Using Internet of Things (IoT) systems dedicated to the elevators and application programming interfaces (APIs), the robots can call an elevator and move autonomously between floors, according to the company.
This integration lets them carry out tasks that span several levels of the hotel complex, without human intervention for each elevator ride. YYForce presents this setup as a way to integrate robotics into the hotels’ routine operations.
Automatic notifications sent to guests’ rooms
The robotic system is also connected to the hotels’ communications infrastructure. YYForce says it uses the SIP (Session Initiation Protocol) standard and the hotels’ private PBX (Private Branch Exchange) phone system.
This connection makes it possible to send automatic notifications to guests in their rooms and to coordinate service operations in real time.
The automation therefore goes beyond physically transporting items. It also covers part of the communication needed to deliver them, by linking the robots to tools the hotels already use.
A 24-month Robotics-as-a-Service contract
The commercial deployment is based on a 24-month service contract. YYForce uses its Robotics-as-a-Service (RaaS) model, which allows hotel operators to use a robotic solution without directly bearing the upfront capital expenditure of acquiring it.
For YYForce, this business model is intended to generate recurring revenue from the provision of robotic services. The company plans to grow this business with commercial facility operators and hotels.
Mike Fu, chairman and chief executive of YYForce, describes the installation as a step in integrating physical artificial intelligence into hotel operations. He links the use of robots in particular to difficulties in recruiting service staff and to the hotels’ productivity goals. The efficiency gains mentioned reflect the company’s own goals and claims.
YYForce plans to expand its robotic services in Asia-Pacific
YYForce wants to use this commercial installation as a reference to offer its automation solutions to other operators in the Asia-Pacific region.
Its business development targets the hospitality, accommodation and integrated facilities management sectors. The company places this strategy within its embodied physical AI activities, which combine intelligent software systems with equipment capable of acting in a real-world environment.
The announced deployment involves autonomous service robots. The humanoid robot development prospects mentioned in YYForce’s forward-looking statements relate to its future plans, not to this commercial installation in Singapore.