Officials at Indianapolis International Airport rolled out a robot last Thursday in an effort to enhance its customer service operation and make it a little more entertaining.
Joseph Miller, IT Director at the Indianapolis International Airport said on media that great customer service could come in many forms.
The robot which costs $2500 is a product of California-based Double Robotics. The new member of the staff team looks like a miniature Segway with an iPad attached atop and showing the face of the employee piloting it. The robot is wearing a blue customer-service shirt and there’s a message placed around its “neck”: “Guest services, may I help you?”
The bot-on-wheel with its video screen head is currently trundling around different parts of the passenger terminal, greeting travelers and looking for someone in need of assistance, said the airport spokesman Carlo Bertolini. The travelers don’t have to go all the way to the guest services area in the main airport concourse.
The robot is currently called Double Robot and it will complement airport customer service but not replace it. A contest to give the robot a name will soon be held by the airport employees.
Indianapolis International Airport is the first in the US to use the innovative passenger assistance. Bertolini says that he has experimented with the robot and it will be especially useful to travelers who want to know where to catch a taxi or shuttle buses.
The machine is being controlled remotely from a desk employee. The iPad camera allows a human customer service rep to survey Double Robot’s surroundings and identifying people looking for help. It is currently being operated by the airport guest services director Brian Eckstein whose friendly face and voice cruise through the passenger terminal.
Have you ever felt like talking to a robot when trying to get your questions answered at the airport?
