Background

The United Robotics Group (URG) is the European market leader in service robotics and a pioneer in the field of robots-for-humans experiences. With 450 employees and growing, the company aims to lighten processes for humans with the help of robots and matching software and integration services. For a cutting-edge aftersales service offering, URG relies on TeamViewer’s solution for both remote connectivity as well as augmented reality.

Challenges

Robots are becoming more and more present in our daily life, supporting labor in intensive, repetitive and monotonous tasks. Against the backdrop of an ageing society and labor shortages, they are fast growing into becoming an indispensable part of economy and society.

In contrast to, for example, the highly automized plant production lines, where almost no human worker is involved, there is an increasing trend in human-to-robot interactions in daily work routines, that today becomes prominently visible in areas such as life sciences, healthcare and patient care, but also industries such as manufacturing or logistics rely ever more on collaborating robots.

URG has introduced the third generation of robots: Cobiots – robots for humans – are highly intuitive, easy to integrate solutions that assist workers with their most straining chores. However, even the most reliable machine colleague needs a helping hand every now and then, and operational downtimes can have impacts for companies, aside from mere cost savings. Besides this, human colleagues benefit from building more knowledge on the robots’ capabilities for max efficiency, increasing the value of efficient onboarding and constant training.

Solution

In the rare cases where one of URG’s customers requires technical support for their robot, URG has opted for an efficient way to combine TeamViewer’s solutions to offer their clients an end-to-end after-sales experience. Similar to URG’s robots, blending the real and digital world for the best customer experience, TeamViewer’s solutions are leveraged for technical support, real-time maintenance and on-site training services.

If a challenge occurs in the digital world, such as a question on a workflow modification or a configuration issue of the robotic arm, help and support are only a few clicks away. URG’s clients can grant access to a URG expert who can then remotely access the robot via TeamViewer. Configurations can be checked, software issues can be resolved – troubleshooting from anywhere, in only a couple of minutes.

But what if a problem occurs outside of the digital realm? For these cases, URG leverages TeamViewer’s Augmented Reality (AR) solution, enabling an end-to-end aftersales service offering. The robots are shipped to the clients together with a pair of smart glasses. If something isn’t working, a URG expert is only one video call away – simply sending a support request via telephone or mail. Via the You-See-What-I-See technology of the smart glasses, the expert guides the client on-site through the troubleshooting, who can work with its hands free, supported by integrated software features such as AR markers or through sharing diagrams or technical instructions.

Through digital guidance, the person on-site is not only guided through immediate troubleshooting, but it is also leveraged for instructional purposes. This on-the-job training allows for quicker familiarization with the robotic device.

Outcome

With TeamViewer’s remote connectivity and augmented reality solutions, URG safely and reliably helps its customers to keep their operations running. Issues can oftentimes be solved immediately within minutes, drastically increasing the uptime rate and productivity of the robot and its co-workers. This form of guidance furthermore builds more expertise on client side and supports internal efforts in continuously improving on-site competences. Finally, remote troubleshooting reduces travel costs, adding to URG’s sustainability and financial goals.