Humanoid bots at hotel guests' service
Leslie Katz Former Culture Editor
Leslie Katz led a team that explored the intersection of tech and culture, plus all manner of awe-inspiring science, from space to AI and archaeology. When she's not smithing words, she's probably playing online word games, tending to her garden or referring to herself in the third person.
Credentials
- Third place film critic, 2021 LA Press Club National Arts & Entertainment Journalism Awards
Hitachi's humanoid "Emiew" robots got some on-the-job training this week that could prove helpful should the bots settle on a career in hospitality. The little guys showed off their mobility, voice recognition and speech skills by greeting guests at the Sheraton Grande Tokyo Bay hotel as part of a weeklong publicity campaign by the Sheraton and Hitachi.
Hitachi unveiled the self-balancing Emiew last year, calling it the fastest robot yet. The 4.2-foot sensor-loaded bot uses wheels instead of feet to move at a spritely 3.7 mph. It avoids obstacles and chats with human counterparts using a vocabulary of about 100 words.
Competing humanoid bots trying to muscle in on Emiew's space include Honda's Asimo and Sony's Qrio.