Meet some of the thousands of robots working across North Texas
Did you know there are thousands of employed robots in the Dallas Fort Worth metroplex?
This may raise an eyebrow, but think less “Terminator” and more “WALL-E.”
RobotLAB offers a diverse range of robotic solutions tailored to streamline operations, enhance efficiency, and automate repetitive tasks across various industries. One of the company’s headquarters is in Southlake. Its goals are to educate K-12 students about robotics, and to consult with businesses on how to integrate robots into their operations.
“The question that most people will give us is: ‘Are robots going to take jobs from humans?’” RobotLAB Franchise Success Manager Sam Latouche said. “No, they do not replace a human. These are robots that still need some human assistance.”
The Star-Telegram spoke with Latouche and RobotLAB Dallas’ Branch President Meshva Desai to find out more about the growing robotic landscape in DFW. Here’s what we learned.
What does RobotLAB do?
RobotLAB was founded in 2007 in San Francisco but moved to North Texas in 2022. The company expanded to have a nationwide footprint in 2023, and currently has 35 locations, with a goal of one in every major metroplex in the U.S. and beyond. Texas franchise offices include Fort Worth, Dallas, and San Antonio.
RobotLAB does not manufacture robots themselves, but rather works as a consulting agency to find the right robot for a business’s needs. However, RobotLAB employees still understand the robots like the back of their hand– when a business works with RobotLAB, they are not just receiving the robot, but also a warranty of maintenance requests and services. And RobotLAB never deploys a robot that doesn’t pass through several rounds of testing.
“Of 18 years of service, guess the number of times a robot has run into a human,” Latouche said. “Zero instances.”
Residents may have already witnessed one of RobotLAB’s robots in the wild. For example, all six Kura Sushi revolving sushi bar locations in Dallas have at least two delivery robots that aid in waiting and bussing tables.
What kind of robots does RobotLAB have?
Pepper is RobotLAB’s most popular robot. It is primarily used as an educational tool– helpful for hotel concierge services, assisted living facilities, children’s hospitals and even classrooms.
“She’s highly informative,” Latouche said. “She also has ChatGPT so she can tell you anything she finds from the internet.”
Pepper has a friendly, human-like appearance and uses facial recognition and conversational AI to interact naturally with people.
Other robots that RobotLAB has tested include:
Delivery robots: Multiple models of these robots operate with cameras and sensors to deliver anything a business needs. This could be in the dining space with soups and drinks, or even mail for a large corporation.
Outdoor robot: “This can be for the swamp, dirt, dust, sand. It can sustain a lot of weight on its load– up to a 50-gallon water tank,” said Latouche as he stood on top of it. These robots are great for farming uses or for carrying heavy loads.
Hospital cleaning robot: A robot with ultrasonic UV rays that sanitizes and removes surface pathogens.
Cleaning robots: Autonomous vacuums programmed with maps. They will vacuum, sweep, mop and scrub a floor and then return to its docking station where it replaces its own water, charges and reports back data on its route. There are models that have unlimited charge through the change of a battery, but also ones who need to charge to last.
Teladoc robots: Robots specifically designed for doctors. These robots are a screen on wheels, so patients can be “face to face” with the doctor. Doctors call into their patients through the screen and can send prescriptions. Great for appointments that would only take a few minutes normally.
Outside security surveillance robots: These robots are equipped with cameras and audio for facial recognition, car tag recognition and announcements. Indoor and outdoor security robots can autonomously detect threats, call emergency services and roam and record during off hours.
Tour guide robots: These robots with screens and audio can give tours in a museum, school or house– anywhere possible that needs a tour.
Warehouse robots: Cart-like robots that can carry up to 600 pounds and deliver anywhere needed.
Cooking robots: A machine that can mix up hundreds of recipes, making meals in bulk faster than a full kitchen of chefs. These could be used at summer camps, hospitals or assisted living facilities. Even fast-food restaurants could use them.
All these robots are autonomous, but humans can also control them from their phones through an app or a RobotLAB wristwatch.
This story was originally published April 29, 2025 at 5:00 AM.