The robotic revolution gathers pace; at GITEX 2025, Veronica Martin spoke to Lim Long Hei Roy, CEO, Robocore, about the firm’s AI-powered robots and how they’re transforming healthcare, education, interactive advertising and building automation.
Can you briefly introduce Robocore and what sets your robotics solutions apart from others in the market?
“RoboCore is a company leveraging robots to deliver innovative solutions for our customers. We manufacture our own robot, the Temi Robot, which is designed as an open platform. This allows customers to programme it for use across different industries according to their specific needs. The robot is equipped with a microphone for large language model (LLM) interactions and a camera for AI analytics, giving users full flexibility. What we provide is a seamless navigation system with obstacle avoidance, making it extremely easy to operate. We also offer an online SDK, giving developers full control over integration and customisation.
“One standout application is in healthcare, particularly hospitals and nursing homes. For example, Temi Robots can be at the patient’s bedside, equipped with stethoscopes, blood pressure sensors, and sonogram devices to check all vital signs. This eliminates the need for patients to wait for a doctor or be transported to a hospital. Within two minutes, a video consultation can take place; vital signs are assessed, prescriptions are given, and medication is delivered. This dramatically reduces the time between doctor and patient from hours to minutes and enables doctors to see up to 50 patients per day instead of just five.
“So far, we’ve implemented around 1,000 robots across nursing homes in the USA, Hong Kong, and Singapore. Our next focus is exploring new markets, including the UAE and the broader GCC region, as well as potential expansions into Africa, and beyond.”
What brings Robocore to the event this year, and what are your key goals for participating?
“As GITEX is primarily focused on IT and tech in the Gulf region, we see a huge opportunity to support telemedicine infrastructure here. Even in very remote areas without local medical coverage, our robots enable patients to connect with doctors virtually – anytime, anywhere.
“Because our robot is an open platform, it also has significant applications in education. Students can learn how to programme the robot, making it a powerful tool for tech literacy and hands-on learning. We’ve already implemented this in 800 schools in Korea, 400 in Hong Kong, and several in Japan, and we see the Gulf region as a major growth market for both healthcare and educational applications.”
What solutions or products are you showing at GITEX 2025, and how do they align with current industry needs in the Middle East?
“The main product is our medical robot. In addition, we’re showcasing larger robots designed for interactive advertising. One of these is called Forecast, which features four large screens that can display videos, advertisements, or posters. You can schedule content; for example, from 1pm to 2pm you might display GITEX-related content, and the next hour show something different.
“Forecast also includes four floor projectors, which can display logos or interactive content. The projectors can detect footprints, allowing visitors to engage directly with the projections and the robot itself. This makes it ideal for large exhibitions, hotel lobbies, and shopping malls, creating dynamic and interactive advertising experiences.”
Robocore develops AI-powered robots for a wide range of industries – from healthcare to hospitality. Which sectors do you see the most traction in currently, especially in the UAE or wider Gulf region?
“Medical and education services are essential to daily life, but here in the UAE, there’s a growing need for automation within large infrastructures. Our robots can play a significant role in high-rise buildings – for example, a 100-floor tower – by automating tasks like inspection, detection, and security.
“Using cameras and sensors, a robot can identify suspicious activity, detect if someone has fallen, check whether fire doors are closed, or spot maintenance issues like broken light bulbs. Traditionally, this would require staff to patrol the entire building or install thousands of costly sensors. With just one robot, all these tasks can be efficiently managed – simply moving floor to floor via elevator, it can handle multiple monitoring and maintenance functions autonomously.”
Can you walk us through some real-world use cases where Robocore’s technology has delivered clear value or transformed operations?
“Medical applications are a real-world use case where our robots generate significant cost savings for governments and insurance companies. For example, a simple cough could traditionally trigger a $1,200 ambulance ride, followed by a $6,000 emergency room registration – an inefficient and expensive process. Now, through our platform, each virtual doctor visit costs just $30, providing affordable care while creating a steady revenue stream that allows us to deploy robots in nursing homes at no additional cost. This approach has been widely appreciated by both the U.S. government and insurance providers.
“Another compelling example is our telepresence capability. Similar to medical visits, our robots allow people with disabilities to remotely explore events or locations they could never physically access. For example, children with terminal illnesses in Japan can now control our robots to attend exhibitions or shows, effectively broadening their horizons. By enabling people with mobility challenges to virtually ‘travel’ the world, we’re expanding access and creating meaningful experiences – this is a core part of our mission.”
What kind of demand or trends are you seeing in the UAE when it comes to robotics adoption in sectors like government, hospitality, or healthcare?
“The trend is clearly moving toward AI and robotics, but it’s not about fully replacing humans; and of course, that’s a good thing. The goal, which aligns with government initiatives, is to delegate mundane, repetitive, or dangerous tasks to robots, freeing up nurses to focus on meaningful human interaction.
“For example, feeding an elderly person is almost impossible to automate safely – robots might accidentally harm the patient or themselves – so human care remains essential. Other critical tasks, like changing diapers, also require discretion and sensitivity. That’s where our robots come in: equipped with sensors, they can detect when a diaper needs changing by identifying urine or feces, alerting the nurse to take action.
“By splitting tasks in this way, robots handle the routine and hazardous work, while humans remain invaluable for the compassionate, hands-on care that only they can provide.”
Looking ahead, how do you see the role of AI-powered robots evolving in the Middle East, and what role does Robocore want to play in that journey?
“I believe AI and robotics must go hand in hand. After all, robots by themselves are just motors, and without intelligence, they can’t truly act. AI is what allows robots to understand their environment and decide what needs to be done.
“Currently, our robots are equipped with advanced AI models, including LLMs, and feature AI analytics through their cameras. This enables them to ‘see’ and interpret the world. For example, a robot can identify someone carrying multiple bags and proactively offer to carry them, alleviating physical strain for the person.
“The next phase is full automation: with AI becoming increasingly sophisticated, robots will no longer need to be explicitly programmed. They will analyse their surroundings, interpret situations, and determine the best course of action independently. In other words, they essentially understand the world and respond intelligently on their own.”
Image Credit: Robocore
