Airports at the best of times can be a pleasurable experience but, too often they are a confusing, maze-like experience for passengers. Despite efforts to provide clear sign postings, airports are a stressful and disorienting journey between terminals, satellite terminals, piers, people movers, escalators, lifts, shops, restaurants, visual images such as advertising and actual flight departure displays. Language barriers make matters worse. Ground staff of airports and airlines are around to help out, however they are typically not to be found when you and I are rushing between flights to find a gate.
Robots could be the solution to guide passengers to the correct departure gate? It sounds futuristic, but Amsterdam Schiphol airport and KLM have successfully performed tests with ‘Spencer’. Spencer stands for Social situation-aware PErceptioN and action for CognitivE Robots and is the first socially-aware robot that has ever been deployed at an airport.
As socially-aware robot Spencer deals with social situations between people. It can ’see’ and analyse people nearby with its sensors. It reasons about possible social relations between people like whether they are a family or group. It also learns about and then complies to social rules and act in a human-friendly way.
During the various tests Spencer scanned boarding passes from passengers and guided them to the correct departure gate. Spencer heads off automatically and the passengers follow the robot, which adjusts its speed to that of the group, avoiding obstacles and informing passengers of the remaining distance to their departure gate. When they get there, Spencer reports this via a screen.
It took more than three years of construction and programming to have Spencer up and running.
KLM believes that robotics will play an increasingly important role in aviation in the coming years. “We are assessing how robotics can be incorporated into our processes in various areas,” says René de Groot, Chief Operating Officer of KLM. “This will supplement the service offered by our airport staff, who will then have more time to assist passengers with more challenging needs.”
