At WOL-E Robotics, we believe in solving big problems. We solve them not because they are easy, but because society needs a solution. The next ten years will be defined by a structural shortage of labor that can only be solved through robots, AI, and operational efficiency. We plan to maximize this opportunity by developing and commercializing a bed-changing robot for the hospitality industry.
As of July 2023, over 80% of U.S. based hotels are experiencing staffing shortages. The hotels have been increasing wages, offering flexibility with hours, and expanding benefits – but 87% say they are still unable to fill open positions.
Hospitality is looking to robots, artificial intelligence, and automation to bring efficiencies to the industry. However, most use cases have been around guest check-in and entertainment as opposed to actual complete jobs to be done and augmenting the staff shortage.
After attending a recent conference in Japan, industry experts were asking for robots that change beds. Additionally, after talking to other robotic industry experts, the hospitality industry is looking for solutions, however, there is currently no solution on the market. It is known as a future problem. That is why we aim to build the world’s first commercial bed-changing robot for the hospitality industry.
The founder of WOL-E Robotics is a serial entrepreneur who graduated from Michigan State University. Michigan State University is known for consistently being ranked as the #1 Hospitality Business program in the world. The founder’s mentor served as the interim dean of this program.