Japan Airlines is currently experimenting with a new form of passenger assistance. Since 9 February, the NAO robot has been waiting for business travellers at Tokyo Haneda airport.
Could this be the new face of customer service, designed to meet the needs and queries of business travellers on the move? Perhaps... At any rate, it's an avenue being explored by Japan Airlines, which has installed NAO opposite the airline's information counter and in area C of customs control in Terminal 1 at Tokyo Haneda airport. Designed by the French company Aldebaran, this "interactive and programmable humanoid robot" is connected to a digital panel and can converse with travellers in Japanese, English and Chinese. NAO can provide local information, inform passengers about the Haneda hub, give details of departing and arriving flights and tell them what the weather will be like once they arrive at their destination. The experiment is being conducted until 18 February in partnership with the Nomura Research Institute (NRI), and is also exploring the possibilities of cooperation between NAO and JAL ground staff, via connected watches. It is part of the "Embrace new challenges JAL" project, initiated in June 2014.
