Image via Aloft Hotels YouTube.
By the time you read this story about a robotic bellhop, Skynet may have become self-aware, bringing an end to the world as we know it.
The New York Times' John Markoff reports on an exciting and futuristic innovation that may make your next hotel stay more convenient and, well, entertaining.
It's called Botlr, and it's a robot that alleviates the burden of sending an actual human to various rooms to bring razors, toothbrushes or anything else a guest might request. You get the picture thanks to a video provided by the Times:
It's safe to assume most of us would request darn near anything just to interact with the robot, waiting patiently just to give the device a high rating, which reportedly leads to a little happy dance from Botlr.
For now, you can only get this specialized robotic service at the Aloft Hotel across from the Apple corporate campus in Cupertino (Calif.). [Writer immediately reserves room for this hotel.]
According to the report, Botlr will begin service on Aug. 20, thanks to collaboration between Starwood Hotels and the company that makes the robot, Savioke. The hope is this will usher in a new era of service for hotel enthusiasts. The downside, however, is obvious to some.
Markoff writes, "Aloft Hotels and Savioke (pronounced "savvy-oak"), the Silicon Valley start-up that designed Botlr, insist that they are not interested in automation as a labor-saving tool. They say they are simply polishing the small hotel chain's tech-embracing brand while hoping to add some efficiency."
Brian McGuinness, went a step further: "I see this as an enhancement to our customer service." The Starwood Hotels' senior vice president continued, "It's not going to be a replacement for our human talent."
We shall remember this when Cyberdyne is pumping out Terminators that look like Arnold Schwarzenegger en masse.
Thankfully, we are at the adorable part of our robotic overlord takeover. As Markoff chimes in, "Indeed, it looks a little bit like R2-D2 might appear if it had been put on a diet."
You can see more of the robot thanks to Aloft Hotels' YouTube channel:
As you can see and hear, the robot really does have an R2-D2 aura about it, not doubt garnering a smile the second a guest gives it a high rating.
And inducing smiles seems to be the impetus behind the company. Markoff writes, "Before entering into an agreement with Starwood to deploy delivery robots, Mr. (Steve) Cousins said that Savioke was interested in a range of service industry applications like assisted living facilities and hotels."
Savioke's founder, Steve Cousins, explains what he hopes to accomplish with burgeoning robotic technology: "Over time we want to help all people, but especially people with disabilities."
This is hardly an isolated incident when it comes to robots taking over human tasks. As CNN Money reported back in May, there is an ever-growing likelihood that self-serving kiosks make their way to fast-food diners. What's more, there is even the possibility that self-driving cars could one day replace delivery drivers.
The future is indeed here, whether or not you are prepared for it. Cousins tossed in a nice little quip when it came to the question of technology reducing the number of jobs: "If you really want to create a lot of jobs, just outlaw tractors. The work force would have to go back on the farm, but nobody is willing to do that."
For the moment, we can enjoy the budding technology that brings a pleasant "Beep, boop, beep" along with that shower cap and toothbrush you so needed.
After getting just a glimpse, even this jaded writer has to say these are in fact the droids we've been looking for.
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