humans are destined for ‘bigger things’ and hence, delivering things like packet of chips, toothbrush or toilet roll could deem to be a waste of valuable resources. us, humans could be put to better use like doing up the rooms or carry out services that requires human touch, which robots are unable to do, yet. from August 20, guests requesting for items from the front desk at Aloft Hotel in Cupertino, California, will be served by a service robot, named SaviOne, provided by robotic development firm, Savioke. SaviOne will carry delivery duties, leaving staff for more important things. not to worry though, you will still be communicating with regular human beings when you call at the front desk, after which SaviOne will be dispatched to attend to your requests.
this newest ’employee’ or ‘botlr’ (robot butler) stands around three feet tall and weighs in at less than 100 lbs, has a carrying capacity of two cubic feet for whatever they need to be delivered. this ‘cargo space’ is locked and will only unlocked and open when its onboard camera ‘sees’ the guest opens the door. there is a display monitor which will provide instructions through onscreen prompts for the guests to remove the item and close the lid. so yeap. botlr isn’t Sonny, so the guest will have ‘work a little’ by following the simple instructions. on the bright side, you won’t have tip it, but it will gladly accept some tweets – complimentary ones, of course. the robot is designed to move at human pace and is rigged sensors, as well as WiFi and 4G connectivity to communicate with the hotel and the elevator software, thus allowing it to travel independently between floors via the hotel elevator.
if you wish to see botlr in action, you will have to check into Aloft Hotel and start calling the front desk for things you have “forgotten” to bring. according to Starwood Hotels & Resort, the parent company of Aloft Hotels, they have plans to expand botlr pilot program to include other hotels under its wing. the future is finally here – granted, it is not anything like i,Robot yet, but we are getting there. however, as exciting as it sounds, robotizing could be a double-edged sword and begs the question: do we not have enough humans to do the work? don’t get us wrong. we are all up for the idea, but as you all know, not all humans are on the same page. what do you think?
