Toshiba's android welcomes visitors at ITB

Chihira Kanae is greeting and guiding ITB visitors; this third version of Toshiba's ambitious project can answer only to pre-programmed questions

Chihira and Mario, a small red-and-white host robot, have joined the ITB fair to welcome and guide visitors and also to put a smile on their faces.

Chihira has a striking human resemblance and can provide simple travel fair directions or answer pre-programmed questions.

Mario, made by French Aldebaran Robotics and QBMT, was created to help the tourism industry by checking in hotel guests. The Marriott hotel in Ghent successfully trialled him.

"The point is to make people smile and give them a unique experience. It's not to take the place of employees," Fabrice Goffin, co-founder of QBMT declared for Reuters.

Spencer is another guide robot, currently in trials at KLM airlines. Spencer directs passengers through Amsterdam's Schiphol crowded airport.

According to an on-line survey done by Travelzoo, 80 per cent of consumers across Europe, South America, Japan and the U.S. expect that guiding robots become a part of their daily lives before 2020. Nevertheless, despite the latest advanced technology in the field, people still want the human touch when it comes to spending a good time during holidays.

Richard Singer, Travelzoo's European president, explained:

"Consumers still want humans in the picture, as otherwise there is a genuine fear that cultural nuances, humor and irony will be missed and the holiday experience could become too impersonal."

In the future, robot-technology is expected to be used for more practical purposes in the tourism industry, such as cleaning rooms and holding presentations to customers.