Airport and Bank Robots

Wayfinding robots in busy terminals

Guiding passengers from one point to another is the airport job researchers have studied most closely. The SPENCER research project, described in a paper listed by Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg, built a socially aware robot to lead connecting passengers from their arrival gate to passport control, and its research centred on detecting people and the groups they travel in, then planning movement that respects them. That shows where the difficulty lies. A terminal is crowded and loud, and people walk fast with trolleys, so a guide robot has to keep a family together and avoid cutting through queues. Before you shortlist, walk the route at peak time and note escalators, travelators and narrow piers. A robot that stalls at each obstacle will frustrate passengers with a connection to make.

Check-in help and the kiosk rules

A robot that helps with check-in usually acts as a mobile front end for systems the airline already runs, so the accessibility rules for self-service kiosks make a sensible benchmark. In the United States, 14 CFR 382.57 requires airlines to make new automated airport kiosks accessible, with an option for speech output, tactilely discernible controls and adjustable volume, and it sets a minimum share of accessible kiosks at each airport location. A robot is not a fixed kiosk, yet a passenger who cannot read its screen meets the same barrier. Ask the maker whether the check-in flow offers speech, physical buttons or a quick hand-off to an accessible kiosk. Agree with the airline who controls the passenger data the robot displays, and how each session is cleared before the next traveller steps up.

Greeting and triage in bank branches

In a branch, a robot mostly greets people, asks what they came in for and points them to the right desk, machine or adviser. A peer-reviewed study presented at an IFIP working conference and listed by Copenhagen Business School followed a humanoid social robot at a financial institution. It found that customers projected their feelings about the robot onto the company deploying it, and that the robot acted as a kind of corporate ambassador rather than the straightforward replacement staff had feared. Plan for that effect, because a robot that gives a wrong answer about fees or opening hours harms the bank's reputation, not only its own. Keep it to routing and general information, never account details, and make sure a person takes over the moment a customer mentions a complaint, a bereavement or suspected fraud.

Security, privacy and queues in regulated spaces

Both settings have security teams who will want a say before any robot arrives. In a terminal, ask which zones the robot may enter, whether it ever crosses from landside to airside, and how it will be screened and stored overnight. In a branch, point its cameras away from cash machines, counters and screens where customers type a PIN or check a balance. Put the robot on its own network segment and ask the maker how remote access is logged and who can use it. Check the robot's parking spot against evacuation routes and queue lines, since a machine left in a doorway during an alarm becomes an obstacle. Write these decisions into a short operating note that security, facilities and front-line staff all sign before launch.

Sources and further reading

• SPENCER: A socially aware service robot for passenger guidance and help in busy airports — Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg (research portal).
  Paper on an EU research robot built to guide connecting passengers from arrival gates to passport control.
• Humanoid Social Robots and the Reconfiguration of Customer Service — Copenhagen Business School (research portal).
  Peer-reviewed study of a humanoid robot at a financial institution and how it reshaped customer and staff roles.
• 14 CFR 382.57 – What accessibility requirements apply to automated airport kiosks? — Electronic Code of Federal Regulations (US Department of Transportation rule).
  US rule on accessible airport kiosks, from speech output to tactile controls, a fair benchmark for check-in robots.

Common questions

Can a robot check passengers in for a flight?

Only if the airline connects it to the systems its kiosks and counters already use. In practice a robot works best as a guide to the right kiosk or desk, with bag drop, document checks and special assistance left to trained staff.

Do banks use humanoid robots in branches?

Some have trialled them as greeters and guides, and researchers have studied those trials. Treat a branch robot as front-of-house help that answers general questions and directs people, and keep anything involving accounts, advice or moving money with staff.