It seems as though the robot revolution may take off soon. Henn na Hotel in Japan will be putting robots to use as bellhops.
The hotel is set to open on July 17 inside the Huis Ten Bosch theme park, which is a tribute to the Netherlands and include replicas of old Dutch buildings in an attempt to recreate the Netherlands inside Japan.
"We will make the most efficient hotel in the world," said Hideo Sawada, president of Huis Ten Bosch. "In the future, we'd like to have more than 90 percent of hotel services operated by robots."
These robots will resemble humans and will serve as receptionists that are capable of even having conversations with humans. The hotel will also have service and porter robots, capable of cleaning, maintenance, and other tasks.
The new technology doesn't just stop at robots, however. The hotel will also use facial recognition techniques as a way to enter a room rather than room keys. Guests can order food and service through a tablet in each room, and rather than air conditioning, a radiation panel will detect body heat in rooms and adjust the heat accordingly.
Rates for a room at the hotel start at 7,000 yen, or $60, and go to 14,000 yen, or $119, during peak season, at which point guests will bid for a room, with 14,000 yen being the upper limit for a single room.
These relatively low prices are at least partly due to the running cost of the hotel, being significantly lower due to the fact that wages don't have to be paid. Not only that, but solar power and other energy-saving technologies will be used to help keep costs down. The robots should also help guests save money on tips.
The first building will open on July 17, with 72 rooms. A second building will be opened next year.
This is not the first hotel to use technology to cut down on costs. Yotel is a hospitality company with hotels all over the world, which use robots to perform tasks like carrying bags for guests.
Some suggest, however, that the increased use of robots isn't necessarily a good thing, especially when it comes to artificial intelligence. Elon Musk recently donated $10 million to the Future of Life Institute, which is dedicated to preventing dangerous situations involving artificial intelligence.
Other companies, however, are using robots full steam ahead. While not really using artificial intelligence, Microsoft is using robots as security guards at its Silicon Valley campus.
