Care-O-bot 4
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Care-O-bot 4 is a versatile, modular service and hospitality robot designed as a mobile assistant for human support in dynamic environments like homes, hotels, restaurants, airports, and retail spaces. Featuring patented spherical joints at the neck and hips for enhanced agility, it enables 360-degree rotations of the head and torso, smooth navigation, and intuitive gestures such as nodding or bending forward while maintaining balance. Equipped with one or two dexterous arms for manipulation, object grasping, and serving trays, it autonomously detects obstacles, picks up items, and delivers goods up to 150 kg on its omnidirectional base. Interaction occurs via a head-mounted touchscreen, speech recognition, gesture detection, and expressive facial animations that convey emotions, fostering friendly, human-like engagement. Its cost-effective sheet metal construction and customizable modules make it adaptable for guiding, concierge services, information provision, and collection-delivery tasks, blending advanced robotics with empathetic design for seamless hospitality integration.
Quick Overview & Key Facts
Care-O-bot 4 is a service robot made by Fraunhofer IPA in Germany, launched in 2015 and built for hotels, restaurants, and hospitals. Its estimated price is USD 50,000-150,000. Featured in “Fraunhofer IPA’s Care-O-bot 4 shows how modular service robots are being built for human-facing tasks”.
- Dimensions
- 72 x 72 x 158 cm
- Weight
- 140 kg
- Mobility
- Wheeled (omnidirectional base)
- Top speed
- 1.2 m/s
- Handles
- Customer-facing, delivery, reception, concierge, guiding
- Battery runtime
- 8 hours
- Charging time
- 4 hours
- Sensors
- LiDAR/laser scanners (shin level), RGB cameras (head, torso, gripper), depth cameras, microphones, IR sensors
- Operating environment
- Indoor (hotels, restaurants, retail, airports, museums, hospitals, homes, offices)
Image Gallery
Below images are from Fraunhofer IPA's official sources
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Robot Specifications
Values without a Confirmed badge are compiled from public sources and may not be manufacturer-verified.
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Care-O-bot 4 vs LuckiBot Pro Autodoor, Kompai, Robocare Fourcast and The K5 ASR
Care-O-bot 4 trails the closest alternatives on max speed, runtime and weight, so it is better judged by how well it fits hotels.
Green marks the best figure in a row (highest max speed and runtime; lowest weight). Ranges are not ranked.
| Spec | Care-O-bot 4Fraunhofer IPA | LuckiBot Pro AutodoorOrionStar Robotics | KompaiRobosoft | Robocare FourcastTemi Global | The K5 ASRKnightscope |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Max Speed | 1.2 m/s | 1.2 m/s | 0.8 m/s | 1 m/s | 1.34 m/s |
| Runtime | 8 h | 12 h | 8 h | 8 h | 24 h |
| Weight | 140 kg | 45 kg | 35 kg | 68 kg | 190 kg |
| Released | 2015 | 2024 | 2010 | 2026 | 2013 |
| Best For | Hotels | Hotels | Hotels | Hotels | Hotels |
Notes such as conditions or alternate figures are left out and values are shown in common units; open each page for the full specs. Browse all Robots
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Frequently Asked Questions
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Q1. What is Care-O-bot 4 and what hospitality or service tasks is it designed to perform?
Care-O-bot 4 is a modular mobile service robot developed by Fraunhofer IPA as a universal helper for everyday scenarios. According to Fraunhofer IPA, it supports tasks like guest guidance, object fetching, and information provision in hotels, restaurants, museums, and airports.
Q2. Which hotels, restaurants, or businesses are currently deploying Care-O-bot 4?
No specific hotels, restaurants, or businesses are documented as currently deploying Care-O-bot 4 in public sources. It remains primarily a research prototype from Fraunhofer IPA with potential applications in service environments.
Q3. How does Care-O-bot 4 navigate busy lobbies and avoid guests or obstacles?
Care-O-bot 4 navigates autonomously using sensors to detect obstacles in real-time. According to Fraunhofer IPA, it employs safe interaction methods and modular design for dynamic environments like busy lobbies.
Q4. What languages does Care-O-bot 4 support for guest interactions?
Specific languages supported by Care-O-bot 4 are not detailed in available technical data. It features speech recognition and a touchscreen interface for multilingual potential via open software interfaces, per Fraunhofer IPA.
Q5. How long does Care-O-bot 4 operate on a single charge during a hospitality shift?
Care-O-bot 4 uses a 48V Li-Ion battery with an external 48V@10A charger, but exact runtime per charge is not specified. Fraunhofer IPA configures it for modular service applications without stated shift durations.
Q6. How does Care-O-bot 4 integrate with hotel PMS, POS, or room management systems?
Care-O-bot 4 provides open software interfaces for developer expansion. According to Fraunhofer IPA, these enable potential integration with systems like hotel PMS or POS, though specific implementations are not documented.
Q7. What is the cost or pricing model for deploying Care-O-bot 4 in a business?
Cost or pricing models for Care-O-bot 4 deployment are not publicly available. Fraunhofer IPA emphasizes cost-reducing construction principles for commercial viability in service sectors.
Q8. How does Care-O-bot 4 handle requests or situations it cannot resolve?
Care-O-bot 4 uses speech recognition, touchscreen, gestures, and LEDs for interaction, escalating unresolved requests via its modular software. Fraunhofer IPA notes it detects limitations and supports human handover in complex scenarios.
Q9. How does Care-O-bot 4 compare to Keenon, Savioke, BellaBot, or other hospitality robots?
Care-O-bot 4 is a research-oriented modular platform from Fraunhofer IPA focused on universal assistance, unlike commercial delivery bots like Keenon or BellaBot. It prioritizes open interfaces and human-like interaction over specialized tasks.
Q10. What measurable outcomes or ROI have early adopters reported from using Care-O-bot 4?
No measurable outcomes or ROI reports from early adopters of Care-O-bot 4 are available in public sources. It is positioned by Fraunhofer IPA as a prototype for service applications without documented commercial deployments.
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