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Alibaba A.I. Labs launches hospitality robot

By TechTaffy Desk

Alibaba A.I. Labs, the department leading consumer AI product development at Alibaba, is launching service robots for the hospitality sector starting in October.

Guests talk to the robot via voice command, touch and hand gesture, and its responses are driven by AliGenie, the software that powers Alibaba A.I. Labs’ smart speaker, Tmall Genie. The labs’ service robot can deliver meals or take laundry to guests.

The robot combines aluminum casing with multi-sensor data functionality and parallel computing. It also includes a semantic map, autonomous navigation system, communication systems to control elevators, and identity verification via facial-recognition technology, says Alibaba.

The robot’s height is less than one meter, while its walking speed reaches one meter per second. After a trial at a hotel, Alibaba A.I. Labs will assess its suitability for other areas, including hospitals, restaurants and office services.

[Image courtesy: Alibaba A.I. Labs]

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