Electronics maker Panasonic has deployed its hospitality robot, called 'HOSPI,' for a five-day trial at a Japanese hotel where it is supposed to serve drinks and bottled water to the guests and make bus announcements in the lobby in three languages (Japanese, English, and Chinese). 

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The indoor delivery robot started working at the Crown Plaza Ana Narita Hotel on Saturday, January 14. It will continue at its post until Wednesday, January 18.

Afterward, HOSPI will be deployed to a new job at the Narita International Airport, which is the main international airport serving Tokyo. It will work at the airport for five days later this month (between January 23 to 27) collecting used dishware from the airport lounge.

However, these are only demonstrations to show the public that the robot is capable of serving customers. The robot has already been working in hospitals throughout Japan, where it delivers medicines and supplies to patients and staff, storing them in its lower compartment.

How does the robot work?

HOSPI is an autonomous robot, which means that it is not controlled by a human operator and does not require a track to wheel around the floor. It uses sensors and collision avoidance technology to prevent itself from hazards like crashing into walls and people or getting stuck in a corner. It is under five feel tall and has a small head on a boxy body with no neck. The robot boasts of a screen in place of a face where it displays a simple smile or a task depending on the current task.

According to IEEE Spectrum, Panasonic has been working on HOSPI since the year 2004, but the robot was made available for sale to hospitals only in 2014. 

Among other hospitality robots is SoftBank's Pepper which, instead of carrying and supplying things, takes a conversational approach, answering customer questions and gesticulating with its animate arms. HOSPI is more similar to Savioke's Relay robot, which delivers items to rooms in hotels. Relay is working at dozens of hotels across the United States.