The Chennai airport has two new staff to assist passengers. Named Mitra, the humanoid robots, were deputed on Wednesday to guide passengers inside the terminals.
The two robots — one each at the departure and arrival halls of the domestic terminal — greeted passengers on Independence Day and interacted with them.
Airports Authority of India (AAI) officials said they would soon introduce the robots in the international terminal too after seeing the response from passengers. “These are on trial basis for now. They can walk around the terminal, wish passengers and talk to them. In a few days, we will programme them to assist passengers on various queries and guiding them to security checks and respective boarding gates,” an official said.
A bunch of children who came to the airport to see the robots were thrilled to communicate with it. International airports such as those in Germany have already introduced a humanoid robot named ‘Josie Pepper’.
The Delhi airport has announced its plan to have a robot called ‘RADA’.
