The robot’s development is a collaboration between researchers and businesses from five countries, including Dutch airline KLM and Örebro University in Sweden. The initiative, which is funded by the European Commission, came about due to the costs KLM was incurring from novice passengers getting lost and missing flights.
The robot will have to tackle challenges including recognising glass walls, parked luggage and crowds of people, which it has to unobtrusively avoid rather than push through. It will also have to be able to make sure that the group it is supposed to guide is following and not falling behind.
The robot has a set of maps stored in its memory against which it compares data from its laser sensors to assess the distance from various obstacles and objects.
“People in motion and fixed objects like walls are not that tricky,” said Achim Lilienthal from the Örebro University in Sweden who led the team developing the robot’s mapping capabilities.
“Objects that are temporarily permanent, so to speak, are the most difficult to work around. We do not know, for instance, how long that luggage trolley will be parked in a particular spot, which makes it harder for the robot to determine its own location.”
The researchers had to fine-tune the robot’s algorithms to prevent it from being confused by seemingly small changes in the surroundings.
The robot, developed by researchers from five European states, will temporarily take up its duty as an airport guide on 30 November. Following a week-long test run, the researchers will use the data gathered to further improve the system before its official debut in March.
The researchers hope to add further functionality in the future. For example, the robot could keep passengers who have missed their flights company and provide them with up-to-date information. The researchers said the robot will also be able to speak in multiple languages.
