From Engadget:
Japan's first robot-staffed hotel opens this week and we just got the full tour. While the main attraction may be the bordering-on-human receptionist (left) and the English-speaking dinosaur (er, right), the hotel has a whole family of robots performing varying degrees of useful work. Think: room service and a luggage porter, with one familiar face taking up duties as a bilingual concierge.
No HAL or Red Queen, but there is a Dinosaur that speaks English. I'm not too keen on the whole fake human as robot. I wouldn't mind a Wall-E or even the Dinosaur robot, but that female robot worker gives me the creeps. It all looks to be very much a tourist trap, but could actually be saving a lot of money in the long run. I'm sure maintenance on a robot is cheaper than having to pay a worker, provide insurance, a retirement plan, and a number of other inconveniences that flesh bags impose on their employers. You could even have a spare robot in a closet, in case one breaks down.
(Score: 2) by bob_super on Thursday July 16 2015, @04:51PM
The "Formule 1" low-end chain, and probably a few others, has a credit-card machine at the front, and you can spend your night there without seeing an employee.
Very popular with the people who don't want to be seen with whomever they are accompanying.