Aloft Cupertino (Calif.) is testing out Botlr, a robotic butler that will handle small front- and back-of-house tasks to free up staff.
Though Hanna-Barbera imagined it back in 1962 with Rosie on “The Jetsons,” robotic servants have yet to become commonplace. Savioke, a Silicon Valley robotics company, hopes to change that with “Botlr,” a robotic butler that is being tested in the hospitality market at Aloft Cupertino (Calif.), a hotel located near Apple headquarters that is owned by Starwood Hotels & Resorts.
A.L.O., the moniker given to the sleek, R2D2-lookalike, performs front- and back-of-house duties, so human employees can tend to other matters. At three feet tall and less than 100 lbs., the bot has a carrying capacity of two cubic feet, and travels at a human walking pace. Botlr communicates with guests through a tablet-style touchscreen.
In August, the bot began performing small tasks such as delivering a phone charger or fresh linens to a hotel room. It even navigates elevators via Wi-Fi while using sensors that scan up to 40 feet ahead, to avoid running into obstacles.
The hotel is looking to target the next generation of tech-savvy travelers. In that spirit, A.L.O. accepts tweets and selfies in lieu of tips, and even does a dance when its performance is given an “excellent” rating. The Twitter hashtag #MeetBotlr has already seen plenty of activity since the device’s launch.
“The appointment of Botlr makes Aloft the first major hotel chain to utilize robots both in the back and front of the house,” says Brian McGuinness, Global Brand Leader of Aloft Hotels. “People have been waiting decades for their robot butler to arrive, and we’re happy that the time has finally come and that our guests can be the first in the world to take advantage of this amazing technology and service breakthrough.”
Though the Botlr is still being tested in the hospitality market, it’s not difficult to imagine its potential uses in clubs and resorts, including delivering towels to members and guests as they lounge poolside, taking a toothbrush to a locker room, or providing any other amenity within the clubhouse.
“If you look at robotics, the most widely used robots outside of Roombas, or simple robots, are industrial robots,” Savioke CEO Steve Cousins said in a Wired article. “We wanted to do that outside the assembly space.”
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