Robotic women check guests in, clean the rooms and even speak to guests in several different languages.
Since 2003 Kokoro, a robotics company, has been working on developing a fully robotic hotel experience for the Henn-na Hotel in Japan, staring beautiful modern Japanese-looking robots. Henn-na hopes to be 90% robotic in the near future.
Since 2003 Kokoro, a robotics company, has been working on developing a fully robotic hotel experience for the Henn-na Hotel in Japan, staring beautiful modern Japanese-looking robots. Henn-na hopes to be 90% robotic in the near future.
In Nagasaki, Japan, they have created a method to release some of the pressure put on hotel workers. The Henn-na hotel in the heart of a the Huis Ten Bosch theme park will employee some rather stiff personal, actual robots.
Now these won’t be the typical robots you might see in a sci-fi film. These robots will be female, and very attractive ones at that. Kokoro, a Japanese robotics company, has been designing these women since 2003. The Actroid model comes in 3 different versions but they all share the same basic dark brown hair and Japanese facial attributes. Their best features are said to be their long legs as well as their bright white smiles.
The robots are made to look similar to a typical Japanese woman and are able to provide facial expressions and cute gestures to assist the guests. At the Kansai University in Japan, researchers are trying to develop involuntary reactions; such as goose bumps, sweat and even breath. The aim is to make these employees look, seem and act as real as possible so that the guests are not completely taken aback by them.
So what exactly are these robot employees capable of doing? They are responsible for checking you in at the front desk using completely digital software. They then can carry your bags to the room they have just assigned (and show you the way if you need it). Some robots will be designed to act as a maid service in order to clean your room. Receptionist robots will answer any questions you may have, take reservations and even carry bags to and from your car.
While there are only ten employed as of now, the hotel hopes to be 90% robotic in the near future. Of the current ten, three will be stationed at the front desk, while one is at the coat check and the rest are used to clean up the rooms. The women are programmed to be fluent in Chinese, Japanese, Korean, and English so that guests from all around the globe will be able to understand them. Preset phrases are programmed in so that they can deal with directions, as well as answering questions posed by large groups of guests.
Now these won’t be the typical robots you might see in a sci-fi film. These robots will be female, and very attractive ones at that. Kokoro, a Japanese robotics company, has been designing these women since 2003. The Actroid model comes in 3 different versions but they all share the same basic dark brown hair and Japanese facial attributes. Their best features are said to be their long legs as well as their bright white smiles.
The robots are made to look similar to a typical Japanese woman and are able to provide facial expressions and cute gestures to assist the guests. At the Kansai University in Japan, researchers are trying to develop involuntary reactions; such as goose bumps, sweat and even breath. The aim is to make these employees look, seem and act as real as possible so that the guests are not completely taken aback by them.
So what exactly are these robot employees capable of doing? They are responsible for checking you in at the front desk using completely digital software. They then can carry your bags to the room they have just assigned (and show you the way if you need it). Some robots will be designed to act as a maid service in order to clean your room. Receptionist robots will answer any questions you may have, take reservations and even carry bags to and from your car.
While there are only ten employed as of now, the hotel hopes to be 90% robotic in the near future. Of the current ten, three will be stationed at the front desk, while one is at the coat check and the rest are used to clean up the rooms. The women are programmed to be fluent in Chinese, Japanese, Korean, and English so that guests from all around the globe will be able to understand them. Preset phrases are programmed in so that they can deal with directions, as well as answering questions posed by large groups of guests.
These robots are able to hold conversations with the guests, in an effort to make them feel more comfortable with the robotic environment. The idea for robotic employees started in Japan’s love hotels. These hotels are able to provide total confidentiality because they are computerized programs as opposed to real people. This eliminates any awkward interactions between the customers with their “partners” and the front desk. Plus the new age of technology is pushing for more innovative ideas and workers that don’t need a lunch break or use the bathroom does just that.
There are other features to look forward to in the Henn-na Hotel that exclude the robotic services. The 72-room hotel decked, out with a Dutch influence, will be equipped with facial recognition in lieu of a key card.. Never again will the card not work or become demagnetized from it’s close proximity to a cell phone. Along with robotic empolyees and face regonition, Henn-na rooms include automatic climate adjustment based on guest body temperatures. Guests can say goodbye to waking up in a sweat; the room will sense the raise in body temperature and adjust the air accordingly, long before the conscious mind can detect any discomfort.
With all the incredible advantages, Henn-na is still able to offer cheap rooms at only $60 dollars a night. The prices will begin to change based on demand, which is anticipated to be very great, especially with the anticipated expansion of robotic employees.
-Miranda Teta, Contributing Writer
There are other features to look forward to in the Henn-na Hotel that exclude the robotic services. The 72-room hotel decked, out with a Dutch influence, will be equipped with facial recognition in lieu of a key card.. Never again will the card not work or become demagnetized from it’s close proximity to a cell phone. Along with robotic empolyees and face regonition, Henn-na rooms include automatic climate adjustment based on guest body temperatures. Guests can say goodbye to waking up in a sweat; the room will sense the raise in body temperature and adjust the air accordingly, long before the conscious mind can detect any discomfort.
With all the incredible advantages, Henn-na is still able to offer cheap rooms at only $60 dollars a night. The prices will begin to change based on demand, which is anticipated to be very great, especially with the anticipated expansion of robotic employees.
-Miranda Teta, Contributing Writer