When you think of travel, you likely think of grand views, city streets and the great outdoors – not robots. Yet robots are being integrated at every stage of the travel journey, from booking to flying to room service. Who knows, you may just encounter one on your next adventure.
Here are five of the coolest robots on the rise:
Relay
Developer Savioke has created a butler robot, capable of delivering food and amenities to guests. Aware of how a butler robot could be perceived as somewhat ‘creepy’ by guests who aren’t used to seeing a robot whiz into a lift with them, the Sovioke team worked to humanise Relay. It has a speech bubble on its screen that explains what it’s doing (so you won’t think it’s following you around the hotel) or how it can help.
Tipsy
For some destinations there is a ‘must try’ cocktail or local beer, but at Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Biloxi and Planet Hollywood in Vegas, it’s a robotic bartender. Customers order drinks using an app on their smartphones, from which they can view menus and even make their own drinks. These cyborg arms can make up to 120 drinks in just an hour, so you could say it lives up to the name.
“>
Pepper
This humanoid robot has already been deployed to more than 2000 companies and is interacting with customers in finance, retail and travel. SoftBank Robotics and Amadeus debuted Pepper in 2017, where she interacted with people waiting to speak with a travel agent. Pepper allowed them to like or dislike images, then suggested travel destinations based on their preferences.
Image credit to Soft Bank
Airstar
Fluent in English, Chinese, Japanese and Korean, this robot is the ultimate helper if you’re lost in Seoul’s Incheon International Airport. It answers to its name, can take photos and will even direct you towards your departure gate if you scan your ticket.
Sepp
What could make this small humanoid robot even cuter? That’s right – dressing it in lederhosen. Sepp works at Motel One Munich-Parkstadt Schwabing in Germany, and can greet visitors in both German and English. Sepp was made by IBM, and along with being a great front desk companion, it’s also (in my opinion) the cutest travel bot I’ve seen.
Image credit to Motel One
Would you like to see robots next time you travel? Or would you prefer a human-only adventure?
If you enjoy our content, don’t keep it to yourself. Share our free eNews with your friends and encourage them to sign up.
Related articles:
Robots invade Tokyo nursing home
Robots run new Japanese hotel
Robots to replace your kids
