. Spencer is available at Amsterdam’s Schiphol Airport for lost passengers. Spencer was created in collaboration by Orebro University and Dutch airline KLM. It considers humans more than just dynamic objects. He sees them as people with different attributes, social hierarchy, and social relationships. Simply put, Spencer is an advanced robot that can understand how humans function within herds. KLM was the original initiator of the program. They wanted to reduce the cost associated with confused passengers missing their flight due to lost directions at the airport. Spencer engineers claim that the fundamental goal of this project was to show that task-efficiency and social compliance are not mutually exclusive. Image: www.spencer.eu. PhysOrg quotes Prof. Achim Lilienthal as saying that “navigating an airport can be challenging because there are a lot glass, and a changing environment with temporary obstructions such as parked baggage trolleys and people everywhere.” A trial of Spencer at Schiphol Airport will take place on November 30. Engineers will make adjustments and correct any problems until the debut run of the robot in March 2019. This will be when a representative from the European Commission will observe it. Spencer will be armed with detailed maps of the airport that he has downloaded. He’ll then check his position using a variety sensors and range-finding lasers. To navigate in crowded areas, he will not collide with objects or people. According to his creators, he is able to weave through crowds of people. He still has to adjust to handle ‘temporarily permanent’ items like parked luggage carts. Spencer and his creators. Short-transfer passenger groups will be picked up at the arrival gate. He will then identify them using an on-bard board pass reader and guide them through airport security. To assist passengers, he is equipped with KLM information. (Image from www.spencer.eu). Spencer is a great human being. Spencer’s greatest attribute is his ability understand the behavior of humans and to act accordingly. He still has to learn how to interact with different types of people. Engineers want him to choose to walk alongside people rather than to cut through them. Also, he has been programmed so that he can ensure the people he guides stay together and do not get left behind. Spencer is surrounded by engineers. Image: www.spencer.eu. Prof. Lilienthal, along with his colleagues, believe that the technology behind Spencer’s creation could be applied to enable robots to interact effectively with elderly residents. The Spencer Project website states that the project will have an effect on society, as it will lay the groundwork for future research about robotics in daily life. These technologies and insights will be used by local governments and robot developers as well as researchers in cognitive systems, social science, and sociology. Video: Single-person guidance with Spencer. This Spencer Channel video features an early SPENCER prototype guiding one person. This robot is supposed to help a person reach a goal.
Spencer, the robot that takes you to the airport gate.
