Engineering Co (凌群電腦) showcased an artificial intelligence (AI) architecture that supports “virtual human and physical robot” collaboration at the Smart City Summit & Expo on Tuesday, highlighting the company’s capabilities for integrating AI, robotics and various workloads.
The architecture comes as generative AI is evolving from a supporting tool into a new type of “employee” that can be trained, managed and work with humans, Syscom president James Liu (劉瑞隆) said at the event at Taipei Nangang Exhibition Center’s Hall 2.
“Within the next five years, a company with 80 employees could have more than 30 virtual workers operating alongside 40 to 50 human staff, fundamentally reshaping business operations,” Liu said.
Photo: Chen Yi-kuan, Taipei Times
Under the architecture, a “physical worker” — the company’s service robot Ayuda — is integrated with a “virtual avatar” — the company’s self-developed Cubi system — to perform various tasks for enterprises, he said, adding that the company is targeting labor-replacement opportunities in sectors such as retail, catering, transportation and healthcare.
For robot development, Syscom is focusing on wheeled service robots, as bipedal humanoid robots are costly and less viable for mass adoption at this stage, Liu said.
The company would continue investing in research and development while waiting for technology and costs to mature before expanding further into humanoid robotics, he said.
Overall, Syscom’s role is that of a system integrator combining AI models, hardware and application scenarios, rather than focusing on standalone hardware manufacturing, Liu said.
In Taiwan, the company has entered the retail sector through a collaboration with Carrefour Taiwan to develop e-commerce systems and smart shopping services that integrate recipe recommendations, product search, inventory management and payment functions into a single interface, he said.
Regarding overseas expansion, the company has established operations in Thailand and Japan, while using its US subsidiary for global sales, Liu said. Japan is the primary market for the company’s robotics business, where it works with local partners to build distribution and service networks, he added.
Looking ahead, Syscom would focus on building technological advantages rather than pursuing short-term shipment growth, Liu said. The company’s strategy is to position early and scale up as the market matures, while adopting a dual-track product approach that emphasizes performance for high-end products and cost efficiency for entry-level offerings, he said.
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