Klaus, CEO of Blue Ocean Robotics, discusses the company’s robot venture factory and service robotics with John Koetsier on NEXT, from Odense, Denmark.
Klaus describes a process for moving robot ideas through development, production, and into the market. Blue Ocean Robotics reuses technology and business components across its products, with about 70% of the software shared and 30% tailored to each robot. The company says this approach lets it expand its portfolio beyond its three robots at the time.
The UVD Robot, developed from 2014 and launched in 2018, was being sold in more than 70 countries. It uses 254-nanometer UVC light to disinfect spaces such as hospital rooms; Klaus says a large room can reach 99.99% removal of bacteria and viruses in ten minutes. He also describes GOBI, a telepresence robot that can host apps for autonomous tasks such as inspections, and PTR, designed for patient transfers and rehabilitation.
Blue Ocean Robotics targets fields including healthcare, construction, agriculture, and hospitality, which Klaus says are local industries with low productivity growth. He argues robots can take on physically demanding work so people can focus on more skilled tasks, potentially improving productivity and working conditions. Koetsier connects this idea to the physical burden on nurses moving patients.
Klaus traces Odense’s robotics industry to shipbuilding in the 1980s, when a shipyard leader and a university professor explored robots for welding ships. He says the early team helped seed a network of companies, including an ecosystem around Universal Robots and collaborative industrial robotics. Shared suppliers and resellers help newer products reach markets.
Klaus favors robots that handle dull or dangerous tasks while people guide and work alongside them. He says automation changes jobs and argues that accessible education can help workers learn to use technology. He also expects people to spend more time on creative work and improving how organizations operate.
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