Spencer the robot will guide lost passengers through Amsterdam’s Schiphol

Foreign airport transfers can be really stressful, especially this approaching holiday season.

Spencer’s navigation is a combination of having built-in maps for permanent structures (e.g. walls) and mapping its immediate surroundings with lasers.

Spencer has been created to be as agreeable as possible, and will sidestep travellers at a steady speed rather than rushing forwards to help clearly befuddled flyers. Well, Schiphol Airport in Amsterdam is hoping to change all that by introducing a new AI that roams its terminals, guiding lost travellers to their correct destination.

Over the course of one week, the robot, which is equipped with a face and a rectangular body with an interactive screen, will guide passengers through the worldwide airport.

The robot, developed by researchers from five European states, will temporarily take up its duty as an airport guide on 30 November.

KLM Airlines has donated a substantial amount to the project as a result of so many of its customers getting lost and missing their flights. 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. After the test run, adjustments will be made in preparation for the real test in March when representatives of the European Commission, along with other prominent guests, will be attending the official premiere run. According to Örebro professor of computer science Achim Lilienthal, the big challenge will be teaching Spencer to handle “temporarily permanent” objects like a parked luggage cart. In addition to navigating fixed and temporary objects, researchers are looking to see how Spencer will react to human behaviors such as slowing down or speeding up and checking to make sure its assigned group is keeping up.

“This technology can be used in all robots meant to interact with humans”, said Lilienthal. The researchers said the robot will also be able to speak in multiple languages. “Autonomous trucks for example, would be more widely accepted if they functioned better in their interaction with humans”.