Navigating a foreign airport can be extremely stressful, especially during the holiday season when its peak travel time and a free agent is nowhere to be found for directions.
But for travelers going through the international Amsterdam Schipol Airport this season, finding the next gate may be a little less stressful thanks to a new robot guide.
On Monday, the airport begins testing Spencer, a cognitive robot developed by Sweden’s Örebro University.
Spencer will pick up passengers who have a short-transfer time at their gate and lead them through the Schipol airport to their next gate.
To navigate the airport, Spencer uses maps of the building. However, he is also equipped with camera sensors and a laser scanner so that he can constantly scan his environment and move in a safe manner, avoiding obstacles and people nearby.
Related story
For example, the robot will check on the people it's leading to make sure they are still following, and it also navigates itself around groups of people instead of squeezing through.
In the future, the robot could be used to assist in other ways as well, Achim Lilienthal, project leader at Örebro University which contributed to the research, said in a press statement.
For example: Spencer could look after passengers who missed their flights and update travelers with correct information.
While the Swedish researchers developed Spencer, the initiative came from the Dutch Airline KLM. The airline had experienced growing costs associated with travelers missing their flight because they were lost in the airport and wanted to find a way to better help the travelers get to their gate on time.
The project is funded by the European Commission, however, KLM donated funds to help with part of the research.
