Japanese hotel retired robotic employees
The managers of an unusual Japanese hotel, where most of the regular employees have been replaced by smart robots, have decided to rethink their personnel policy and have sent half of the automated mechanisms into retirement. Robots served as hotel administrators, cleaners, personal assistants and loaders in the hotel. The reason why the hotel management abandoned high-tech devices was not at all the violation of discipline by unusual employees. The reason for the “dismissal” was various problems in the algorithms of work, which became regular, as a result, the robots did not always cope with their official duties.
The hotel, located in the Japanese city of Sasebo, opened in 2015. It was called Henn-na Hotel, which means "strange hotel." Solar panels are installed on the roof of the hotel, the electrification of the building includes only energy-saving devices, and the switching on of the light is activated by movement sensors. To access the premises, instead of the usual keys, the technology of face identification is used. The place has become widely known and famous for its unusual staff. Various robotic mechanisms were involved in serving the guests. They replaced the usual receptionists, ancillary workers and maids who helped with packing things in the rooms. After the mechanisms were shown to be ineffective in certain situations, the hotel management decided to reduce the unusual staff. Robots-porters who could not reach more than half of all hotel rooms fell under dismissal. Their mechanisms did not respond well to cloudy weather and precipitation, creating interruptions in work. They also could not optimally build their routes, periodically getting stuck next to each other.
A humanoid robot installed in each room and performing the functions of an assistant fell under the contraction. The automated assistant proved to be ineffective at performing the simplest tasks and answering easy questions, which were usually done by voice-activated mobile assistants. Also, the robot doll often perceived extraneous noises as a signal for activation. Robotic devices that perform the functions of hotel administrators received a non-standard appearance. Instead of the usual and expected mechanisms that outwardly resemble a person, robotic dinosaurs were waiting for visitors at the registration desk, which later also went on a well-deserved rest. Velociraptor dinosaurs did not fully cope with their duties, found it difficult to answer questions about tourist routes and flights. Also, the guest had to do some of the work for the robotic administrators, in particular to make photocopies of documents. Henn-na's management is philosophical about the decision to fire unusual workers: in recent years, since the hotel's opening, modern smart robots have made significant advances in their technology and self-learning abilities. The hotel is not going to completely abandon the use of robots, since they are an indispensable part of its futuristic setting, but now only people will interact with visitors. The owners of Henn-na are not going to throw away the idea of an automated hotel forever, but for the time being they admit that at this stage, a person copes with certain responsibilities. The Topic of Article: Japanese hotel retired robotic employees. |
