How the Examples Were Chosen
Service robots are defined by the International Federation of Robotics as robots that perform useful tasks for humans or equipment, excluding industrial automation. That single definition covers professional service robots on restaurant floors, in warehouses, and in hospitals, and personal service robots in the home.
The Bot Scout only lists an example when the vendor is named, the robot is a shipping product (not a concept video), and the job it does is described in the vendor's own materials or in coverage from a named outlet. Every price note below is tagged confirmed when the vendor publishes it, or quote-only / estimate when the number comes from press coverage.
For a deeper look at the whole category, see the service robots hub and the buyer-side breakdown in service robots in business.
| Example | Vendor | Industry / setting | What it does | Price signal |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pepper | SoftBank Robotics (RobotLAB distributes in the US) | Retail, banking, education | Humanoid greeter, wayfinding, on-screen surveys | Estimate ~$25,000+ one-time plus service contract per RobotLAB reseller listings; SoftBank paused new production in 2021 |
| Servi | Bear Robotics | Restaurant food running | Carries plates and bussing tubs between kitchen and table | Quote-only; Bear Robotics lists monthly subscription pricing on request |
| Relay | Savioke (now Relay Robotics) | Hotels, hospitals | Autonomous delivery of amenities and small items through elevators | Quote-only; deployed at Aloft Cupertino as the original 'Botlr' |
| Starship delivery robot | Starship Technologies | Sidewalk food and grocery delivery on campuses | Six-wheeled autonomous cooler that navigates sidewalks to a customer | Per-delivery fee to consumer (~$1.99–$3.49 on college campuses) |
| Nuro R2 / R3 | Nuro | Neighborhood grocery and meal delivery | Driverless, occupant-free road vehicle for last-mile | Retail partner priced; consumer pays retailer, not Nuro |
| Whiz | SoftBank Robotics (built on ICE Cobotics platform) | Commercial janitorial vacuuming | Autonomous vacuum for hotels, offices, airports | Subscription of roughly $500–$600 per month per unit per SoftBank Robotics listings |
| Cassie | Agility Robotics | Research and last-mile delivery R&D | Bipedal walker; predecessor of the Digit humanoid used by GXO | Research units; not sold as a general product |
| Digit | Agility Robotics | Warehouse tote handling | Bipedal humanoid moving totes; deployed with GXO Logistics at Spanx facility (2024) | Quote-only; Agility publishes Robots-as-a-Service pricing on request |
| ElliQ | Intuition Robotics | Older-adult companion in the home | Proactive tabletop companion for conversation, reminders, video calls | $249 upfront plus $59.99/month subscription per Intuition Robotics website (confirmed) |
| ARI | PAL Robotics | Concierge, reception, healthcare | Wheeled humanoid for greeting, information, and telepresence | Quote-only; sold to research and enterprise integrators |
| Furhat | Furhat Robotics | Kiosk, research, training | Back-projected social robot head for conversational interfaces | Quote-only; commonly cited at ~$20,000+ per Furhat reseller pages |
| Moxi | Diligent Robotics | Hospital logistics | Mobile manipulator that fetches supplies and delivers labs for nursing units | Quote-only; deployed at Texas Health and Cedars-Sinai per Diligent Robotics case studies |
| TUG | Aethon (ST Engineering) | Hospital and hotel material transport | Autonomous cart that tows food, linen, meds, and waste through corridors and elevators | Quote-only; installed at UCSF Medical Center among others |
| Roomba j9+ | iRobot | Personal home vacuum | Object-avoiding robot vacuum with self-emptying base | $899.99 MSRP per iRobot.com (confirmed) |
| Astro | Amazon | Personal home monitoring | Household robot for patrols, video calls, and Alexa tasks | $1,599.99 introductory Day 1 Edition price per Amazon (confirmed, invite-only) |
| Neato / Ecovacs Deebot X2 | Ecovacs | Personal home vacuum and mop | Square-form-factor vacuum and mop with laser navigation | $1,499.99 MSRP per Ecovacs.com (confirmed) |
| Miko 3 | Miko | Personal companion for children | Conversational learning robot for kids ages 5–10 | $249 MSRP per miko.ai (confirmed) |
| Bellabot | Pudu Robotics | Restaurant service, cat-faced food runner | Multi-tray delivery robot for restaurants and hotpot chains | Estimate ~$15,000–$18,000 per Pudu distributor listings |
| Keenon T8 / W3 | Keenon Robotics | Restaurant delivery and disinfection | Tray delivery robot; UV / spray disinfection variants for facilities | Quote-only; distributor lease programs common in the US |
| Nimbo | Turing Video / Knightscope K5 (comparable) | Security patrol | Autonomous outdoor patrol robot for parking lots and campuses (Knightscope publishes the model) | Knightscope K5 leased at ~$8–$9/hour per Knightscope Machine-as-a-Service pricing |
Customer-Facing Examples in Retail and Hospitality
The most visible customer service robot examples are the greeters and food runners. Pepper from SoftBank Robotics has spent almost a decade as the reference example — deployed in HSBC Fifth Avenue and in retail pilots — even after SoftBank paused new production in 2021.
Restaurant food running has been the breakout use case. Bear Robotics Servi and Pudu Robotics Bellabot both run plates from kitchen to table so servers can focus on guests, and Denny's, Chili's, and independent operators have publicly discussed installations.
In hotels, Savioke's Relay — famously deployed as "Botlr" at Aloft Cupertino — delivers amenities to guest rooms and rides the elevator on its own.
Delivery, Cleaning, and Security Examples
Sidewalk and road delivery is the second cluster. Starship Technologies runs coolers on wheels across US college campuses and European cities, and Nuro partnered with Kroger and Domino's for occupant-free road deliveries.
Commercial cleaning shows up in almost every airport and large hotel. SoftBank Robotics' Whiz is the reference autonomous vacuum, typically sold as a monthly subscription rather than a capital purchase.
For security, Knightscope publishes Machine-as-a-Service pricing for its K5 outdoor patrol robot at roughly $8–$9 per hour, which is one of the few honest hourly numbers in the category.
- Delivery: Starship (sidewalk), Nuro (road), Kiwibot (campus).
- Cleaning: Whiz (vacuum), Avidbots Neo (scrubber), LionsBot (mop/vacuum).
- Security: Knightscope K5, Cobalt Robotics indoor patrol.
- Hospitality: Servi, Bellabot, Keenon T8, Relay.
- Retail greeter: Pepper, Furhat kiosk, ARI concierge.
Healthcare and Logistics Examples
Hospitals were early professional service robot buyers. Diligent Robotics' Moxi is a mobile manipulator that fetches supplies for nursing units — deployed at Texas Health Resources and Cedars-Sinai per Diligent case studies. Aethon's TUG autonomously tows carts of linens, meals, and pharmacy through corridors and elevators at hundreds of hospitals including UCSF Medical Center.
Warehouse and logistics use cases are also service robots when they operate outside a fixed cell. Agility Robotics' Digit is a bipedal humanoid moving totes at a GXO Logistics facility for Spanx — the first commercial contract publicly announced for a walking humanoid.
None of the hospital or warehouse examples publish a list price. Every one is a quote-only Robots-as-a-Service subscription tied to how many hours the robot actually runs.
Personal Service Robot Examples in the Home
Personal service robots are the ones that live in a home. iRobot's Roomba j9+ at $899.99 MSRP is still the reference vacuum. Amazon Astro at $1,599.99 (Day 1 Edition, invite-only) is the reference household monitor.
For older-adult companionship, ElliQ from Intuition Robotics is the clearest example with a transparent price: $249 upfront plus $59.99 per month. It has been distributed by the New York State Office for the Aging to hundreds of older adults living alone.
For children, Miko 3 at $249 sells as a conversational learning companion. These are the examples where the vendor publishes an actual price on their own site — most professional service robots do not.
Bottom Line
The useful service robot examples are the ones with a named vendor, a working product, and a job you can measure — Servi running plates, Whiz vacuuming corridors, Relay delivering to guest rooms, Moxi fetching hospital supplies, Roomba and ElliQ in the home. Everything else is a concept video.
Shortlist the two examples closest to your setting, then request quotes and reference sites before comparing anything else.
FAQs
What are examples of customer service robots?
Pepper (SoftBank Robotics) as a retail and bank greeter, Servi (Bear Robotics) and Bellabot (Pudu) as restaurant food runners, Relay (Savioke) as a hotel amenity-delivery robot, and ARI (PAL Robotics) as a concierge are the most cited customer-facing examples.
What are examples of personal service robots?
Roomba j9+ (iRobot) for vacuuming, Ecovacs Deebot X2 for vacuum and mop, Amazon Astro for household monitoring, ElliQ (Intuition Robotics) as an older-adult companion, and Miko 3 as a children's conversational robot are the shipping personal service robots today.
What are real-life examples of service robots in business?
Starship Technologies delivering food on college campuses, Whiz vacuuming hotel and airport floors, Moxi fetching supplies at Texas Health Resources, TUG towing carts at UCSF Medical Center, and Digit moving totes for GXO Logistics at a Spanx facility are all documented deployments.
How much do service robots cost?
Personal robots publish MSRPs — Roomba j9+ at $899.99, Astro at $1,599.99, ElliQ at $249 plus $59.99 per month, Miko 3 at $249. Professional service robots like Servi, Whiz, Moxi, and Digit are quote-only Robots-as-a-Service subscriptions priced against runtime hours.
Are service robots the same as industrial robots?
No. The International Federation of Robotics defines service robots as robots performing useful tasks for humans or equipment excluding industrial automation. Industrial robots work inside fixed manufacturing cells; service robots operate in restaurants, hotels, hospitals, warehouses, sidewalks, and homes.