Imagine that: you have just arrived in a new place. You don’t use local language, but u have a lot of questions on the tip of your tongue: “Where is the cheapest supermarket?”, “Where can I eat something tasty and not so expensive?”, “Have I fulfilled all COVID requirements?”. Not always we will find a helpful, full of empathy person, who will dispel our doubts. Especially, when we arrive in the middle of the night.
Luckily, in some places we can just find someone who never sleeps. I’m talking here about robots powered by artificial intelligence. I have no doubts, that they have the potential to revolutionize the travel industry. Moreover, in the future investment in AI can be for many travel businesses a condition to maintain competitiveness. Actually, the future is now – robots are already storming the travel industry. In my article, I will try to introduce u to a story of two AI-powered robots, that really impressed me.
FRAnny
“Hi, I’m FRAnny, the world’s most social robot concierge” – in this way greets us a social robot, who works at the Frankfurt Airport. FRAnny is based on artificial intelligence (AI) and a cloud-based voice-user interface that can be deployed in a variety of forms – including chatbots, voice assistants, and robots. This kind of approach of Artificial Intelligence enables to meet the challenges of working in the 4th busiest airport in Europe. About 100 thousand flights per year and 70,6 million international passengers in 2019 – there was no time even to take a nap!
Using data drawn from the airport’s information system, FRAnny is able to understand and answer questions relating to travel or airport facilities. She can speak English, German, and seven other languages. What’s more, she understands various accents and she is really good at small talk. Not only passengers service – FRAnny is a special attraction of Frankfurt Airport!
Pepper
There is no question, that our reality has fundamentally changed due to the COVID-19. The pandemic forced a digital revolution in industries affected by lockdown. One of these is the hotel branch, where a robot named Pepper gained fame.
At the height of the pandemic Japanese hotels served as the accommodation for some patients. Pepper was sent to the battle with the virus so as not to expose employees to infection. He was responsible for greeting people, advising, and keeping company. Sometimes, he played a role of a caring mother “You can’t fight the coronavirus on an empty stomach. Please eat well to get healthy!”. And how to feel lonely with such a cute robot?
Stay safe and don’t forget to wear a mask in closed public places !
https://youtube.com/watch?v=4Ll40uxssBs%3Ffeature%3Doembed
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Robotic concierge to help travelers