Japan is testing the first airport robots

Travelers worldwide who cannot find their way in the major Japanese airports and can hardly reach the right gate will be offered a great surprise. In Haneda Airport in Tokyo, an innovative solution was found as the robots provide all necessary information and lead tourists wherever they need.

EMIEW3 robot has a height of 90 cm and can provide information in English and Japanese to travelers that do not handle their way in the busiest airport in Japan and the fourth worldwide, Haneda. ‘We are hoping to use EMIEW3 to assist efforts to extend hospitality at Haneda airport through our trial runs,’ said Hiroshi Sato, senior vice president and executive officer at Hitachi, the Japan Times reports.

Humanoid robots can be found by travelers who need them nearby the information centers of the airport, and among their duties there is guiding tourists to ATMs and exchange offices. The robots’s tone of voice is quite friendly and polite, informs the newspaper "Daily Mail", using formulas such as "Please follow me." In the future, robots will be programmed to speak in other languages, primarily Chinese and Korean.

According to Haneda’s operator, Japan Airport Terminal Co., the key goal of the project is to “communicate Japan’s technology from Haneda airport, a doorstep of Japan” to the world. “Haneda airport is a hub for domestic flights, and it’s seeing international landing slots expanding, routes expanding and inbound passengers increasing,” said President Isao Takashiro. More, he added that “we have explored ways to take advantage of these characteristics and use the airport as a place where we can showcase the great things in Japan, such as its technology, industry, culture, history, and so on.”