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Remarkable Asian Enterprises That Will Have an Impact in 2019

By Minjun Park
3 min read
artificial intelligence robot
artificial intelligence robot
In this article (5)

Southeast Asia has become a shining star with its several enterprises in the area. Singapore, especially, has become one of South Asia’s most attractive countries for entrepreneurs and investors, thanks to investments by technology companies, government support, and low tax rates. Singapore is closely followed by Malaysia and Indonesia in this competition.

Malaysia, one of the three strongest economies in Southeast Asia, is one of the few countries that provide state support to entrepreneurs. These competing enterprises of the region have been developing products in the fields of machine learning and blockchain to keep up with the technology age. Entrepreneurs focus on developing problem-solving oriented products to preserve and expand their market shares. Here is a list of five Asian enterprises, which will have a great impact on the industry in 2019.

Naulo

Naulo is a restaurant in Kathmandu, Nepal. What makes it unique is the fact that it operates with five waiter robots, two named Ferry and three named Ginger. Customers choose their orders by touching the screen on the robots and then the robots serve the orders to the tables. With this digital service, the restaurant was the first venue in Southern Asia to use robots as waiters.

Designed and manufactured by the Nepali technology company Paaila Technology, Robot Ginger has the ability to recognize objects and conversations, process natural language, auto-dock and even make jokes and answer basic IQ questions in both English and Nepali. Binay Raut, CEO of Paaila Technology and Naulo Restaurant, said that their new target is “to introduce this Nepali innovation in the international market.” So, we are highly like to see more robots in the restaurants in 2019 as well!

Groove X

Japanese engineers have a great invention for those who feel lonely! The start-up company, Groove X’s robot has the name Lovot, a combination of the words ‘love’ and ‘robot’. This penguin-looking robot uses artificial intelligence technology to move, react when it is called or loved, and sleep when it is cuddled. Lovot will compete with Sony’s artificial intelligence-equipped robot dog, Aibo, and will be released towards the end of 2019. As Groove X says, it will be “the one and only robot in this universe that heals your heart.”

Glueck Technologies

It goes without saying that we all depend on technology. Various technologies impact and improve almost every aspect of our lives: online education to space travels, self-driving cars to online poker are all astonishing features of technology once thought to be impossible.

the one and only robot in this universe that heals your heart.

Glueck takes technology and artificial intelligence to another level. Using artificial intelligence and deep learning technologies, Glueck offers a product that enables machines to understand people’s emotions. With the algorithm they’ve developed, the analyzes people’s emotional states and their responses to real-life alerts. This unique product is designed to produce the right message to the right audience in the media, advertising and e-commerce fields.

Dahmakan

Dahmakan has become the first food distribution company to create an important capital in Southeast Asia. It provides first-class, chef-made food delivered to customers’ doorsteps, and appeals to a niche audience. The company’s founders are former FoodPanda employees, which is the biggest food distribution chain in Asia. Dahmakan plans to rapidly expand to other countries besides Malaysia and Thailand. You can also expect Dahmakan at your own doorstep in 2019!

GrabCar

GrabCar is a car-sharing app with a Southeast Asian origin. While studying at Harvard Business School in 2011, Tan Hooi Ling and her classmate, Anthony Tan, decide to take part in an entrepreneurship competition and at the end of the competition GrabCar, first known as MyTeksi, was born.

Although it was first designed to adopt a smart local business strategy, GrabCar is currently one of the biggest shareholders in Asia in the car-sharing applications market. It operates in eight Southeast Asian countries from Malaysia to Singapore, Vietnam to Myanmar, Thailand to the Philippines.

In March 2018, Grab announced that it had acquired Uber’s Southeast Asia operations integrating Uber’s ridesharing and food delivery business in the region into its own platform. As Grab said, in 2019 it “will drive towards becoming the number one online-to-offline mobile platform in Southeast Asia and a major player in food delivery.”

 

 

Questions & Answers

Q.

Which specific countries are highlighted as attractive for entrepreneurs and investors in Southeast Asia?

A.

Singapore is singled out as most attractive due to technology investments, government support, and low tax rates. Malaysia and Indonesia are closely following Singapore in this regional competition.

Q.

What is unique about the Naulo Naulo restaurant mentioned in the article?

A.

Naulo Naulo is unique because it operates with five waiter robots, designed and manufactured by Nepali technology company Paaila Technology. It was the first venue in Southern Asia to use robots as waiters.

Q.

What is Groove X's Lovot robot designed to do, and when is it expected to be released?

A.

Lovot is designed to respond to being called, loved, and cuddled, using AI technology, for people who feel lonely. It is expected to be released towards the end of 2019.

Q.

How did GrabCar expand its operations significantly in Southeast Asia?

A.

GrabCar acquired Uber’s Southeast Asia operations in March 2018. This integrated Uber’s ridesharing and food delivery businesses into GrabCar's platform, helping it become a major regional player.

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