Robots are becoming a true workforce and they keep progressing to the point where a robotic raptor doorman will greet you in a Japanese hotel, situated in Sasebo, Nagasaki. If you’ve seen the latest “Jurassic World” movie, you will know by now that velociraptors are no longer the bad guys.
Aptly called the “Weird Hotel”, from its translation of “Henn-na-Hotel” in Japanese, it will be the world’s first robot-operated inn, where technology will take care of most of the guests’ needs. It seems the Land of the Rising Sun will never cease to amaze the world in what they come up with in terms of technology.
Within the past few years, they have made some impressive advancements in the field of robotics. Hideo Sawada, the man who came up with the concept of the Weird Hotel, has proudly presented the establishment to the press earlier on this week on Thursday.
To start, guests will pass a robotic, English-speaking dinosaur, who will both greet them at the door and offer to check them in. Or, for Japanese speaker, a humanoid receptionist female robot will offer the same services. It will require one push of a button and the guest will then have to type out their information on a touch screen pad in order for the robots to process the information, along with facial recognition.
A trolley will then automatically carry the baggages to the assigned room while drones would be flying around with refreshing beverages and light snacks. It paints quite the picture of a futuristic hotel and it apparently does not stop there.
Guests will have the option of placing their valuable items in a secure vault-like room, managed by a large, robot arm that will take the items, place them in individual boxes to then only retrieve them at request. The so-called “robot cloak room” will provide security through facial recognition software.
Another use for the same software will eliminate the use for keys, as guests will be able to go in and out of their rooms based on a quick face scan alone. Drones will be providing mild room service and a pink robot lamp will both tell time and weather reports when inquired.
Before anyone starts humming Disney’s “Be Our Guest”, it’s not quite that magical just yet, as there are some gimmicks. The receptionist will provide limited information and turn-down service is not one of the many tasks performed by robots.
Human staff will be observing through security cameras scattered all around the place, for the sake of guests and robots alike.
While there will be a certain draw to the hotel in terms of entertainment, project leader Sawada has mentioned that his reasons for its creation were also practical. Not only will it be a display of excellent engineering, but it will also combat the usual high prices of Japanese hotels, which are two or three times more expensive than the approximately $80 per night fee of the Weird Hotel.
Plus, it will have well-managed and very polite robots.
Image source: telegraph.co.uk
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