It was
announced this month that Nely , a social robot, will be deployed
to assist travelers at Turkey’s Istanbul New Airport. Nely
is equipped with AI, facial recognition, emotional analysis, voice
capabilities, a bar code reader, and the ability to greet passengers. The robot
can also make bookings on travelers’ behalf, relay information, and provide
weather updates. Nely
changes its emotions and tone depending on the expressions, ages, and genders
of passengers. It can remember the passengers it has interacted with before, as
well as make small talk. Emotional
interaction was a key focus in developing this travel robot. As creator Frank
Berk Güler explained, “What is important for us and what we use as a base here
are human beings. Every communication element Nely
uses was developed in collaboration with sociologists.”
We’re on the cusp of the next era of
digital personalities, where virtual assistants will be joined by VIRTUAL
COMPANIONS (and yes, this was one of our big Trends for 2018!). More sophisticated technology – from
AI to facial recognition to emotion sensing – will drive customer expectations
around digital personalities ever-higher. The 5 billion virtual assistants in use globally by 2022 will
no longer be limited to turning on the lights or sending appointment reminders,
some will have evolved to VIRTUAL COMPANIONS that can entertain, educate and
even provide emotional support.
Thinking of creating a VIRTUAL COMPANION? A few considerations for
your team:
- First, is companionship the right aim? We’d suggest that time-pressured travelers would
prefer Nely to be functional, rather than being over-friendly!
- As robots start to move digital interactions off
screens and into new contexts, users will have to learn entirely new
behaviors. Can
you learn from how other businesses are educating their customers and
guiding them through this brave new world?
- Yes, the robots are coming! 🤖But not only from robot capitals like China and Japan -
Nely’s creators are based in Turkey. This should be a powerful reminder that best-in-class innovations can come from anywhere!
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