Passengers in airports in Japan will no longer lose their way around the huge establishment as robots can help and guide them. The robots can also spot people who seem to be lost. They are now used to assist customers.
BBC They are designed to speak multiple languages. Their design enables them to understand people even in noisy places. They can lead them to different gates at the airport. Rachel Jones, design strategist for Hitachi said that they were tested at the Haneda airport in Japan and in shopping malls.
Jones also explained that there are cultural issues as to the acceptance of robots to interact with humans. In Japan, people are positive about robots. But they are making the robots accessible, approachable, and friendly. Hitachi is hoping that these kinds of programmed machines can be utilized more in different parts of the world.
These robots can really benefit travelers who are first-timers and those who are elderly. In Japan, they created robots designed to take care of the elderly. By 2030, it was reported that the number of aged people will increase dramatically.But their families have to work outside of their homes, thus, leaving the aged member in the care of a caregiver or a robot.
This will eventually increase the demand for caregivers and nurses. One possibility, in the case of shortage of these practitioners, is the use of robots.In fact, the first robots were tested in a nursing home.
There were robots programmed to guide the elderly to the dining room or anywhere in the home. Also, they are conditioned to give reminders in taking medications. Some are designed to detect dementia. Other robots can "converse" with the elderly as some elderly chooses to open up and talk to a robot than to a human. With the development of artificial intelligence (AI), robots will eventually become a human's everyday assistant and helper.
