Airport Experience® News - Conference 2023

In 2016, San Jose International Airport (SJC) became the first U.S. airport to offer robots when it introduced three customer service robots designed to engage with travelers. With their avatar-friendly faces, the robots could even audibly introduce themselves by their names, Norma, Amelia and Piper. Shortly after that, in early 2017, SJC debuted the iPal Playground, the first interactive play space featuring iPal humanoid social robots designed to sing, dance and talk with children. But both programs are no longer running at SJC. “The robots were a big hit, but like other programs we’ve tested and tried they were never intended to be a permanent program at SJC,” notes Jill Stone, marketing manager for the airport. Then in late 2019 SJC tried out Cafe X, a robotic coffee bar. “When it launched, passengers and employees alike truly enjoyed interacting with it, but unfortunately, the business wasn’t able to obtain a permit that allowed them to be autonomous in Santa Clara County, which meant requiring staff on site,” Stone says. Due to this, Cafe X had to close at SJC but Stone notes that the airport hopes the robotic coffee bar might be able to return in the future. “One drawback of being the first to try new stuff is that new stuff isn’t always ready for prime time, be it the technology, the regulatory environment or other factors,” Stone says. “We don’t view these as failures—it’s just the cost of doing business when you’re willing to be the first to try new things. As we move forward, we’ll continue to look for new opportunities.” Indeed, implementing new technology innovations comes with certain risks, but in this day and age it usually pays off— which is why airports continue to invest in a tech-driven future, from AI-powered concierge services to delivery robots to automated food and beverage kiosks and more.

Above: In June 2022 Dallas Fort Worth International Airport began testing Iris, a first-of-its-kind AI-powered digital concierge developed in partnership with IBM and Soul Machines. Iris is still in the testing phase, but the airport hopes to expand her body of knowledge and presence beyond the current two fixed kiosks into several more locations. Contactless Is King

Most recently, XWELL , formerly the XpresSpa Group, announced in November its partnership with robot manicure provider Clockwork to introduce the Clockwork MiNiCURE—a fully autonomous robot that couples artificial intelligence with 3D camera technology to paint nails safely, quickly and accurately without human intervention—in select XpresSpa U.S. airport locations. Beginning in the first quarter of 2023, XWELL will launch up to five Clockwork MiNiCURE robots across the company’s portfolio of 28 spa locations during an initial three-month period, with the intent to deploy as many as 25 units across the business. In June 2022 Dallas Fort Worth International Airport (DFW) began testing Iris, a first-of-its-kind AI-powered digital concierge developed in partnership with IBM and Soul Machines . In Terminal D the airport also tested an interactive wayfinding robot from LG called CLOi and a food delivery robot. “We want to ensure the airport is as accessible as possible 24/7 for those seeking information while navigating our terminals, and, yes, we’re seeing demand for more interactive services that deliver information quickly and efficiently,” says SeanMcIntyre, senior innovation implementation consultant for DFW. “Digital humans provide that life-like experience by reading the emotions of the customer and then

It’s no secret that tech advancements were well underway in the airport space pre-pandemic and that COVID-19 really kicked things into high gear. The first wave of airport robotic services post March 2020 included cleaning robots. That April Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport (CVG) deployed Avidbots Neo floor-scrubbing robots to autonomously clean floors throughout its airport terminal on a continuous basis; in May Pittsburgh International Airport (PIT) implemented autonomous cleaning robots with ultraviolet light technology; in July Tampa International Airport (TPA) employed robot software to sanitize handrails on escalators; and in September San Antonio International Airport (SAT) claimed to be the first airport in the world to employ the Xenex LightStrike robot, the only ultraviolet room disinfection technology proven to deactivate the virus that causes COVID-19, to name a few. In addition to visible cleaning practices, contactless experiences became extremely important during the pandemic, and this is where robotic services fit nicely. Add to this the pandemic-induced labor shortage and robotics again are more relevant than ever and their use in airports has ramped up considerably since the early days of the pandemic.

Left: Blendid offers robotic smoothie kiosks that are accessible 24/7 without the need for full-time staff. While it doesn’t have an airport location yet, co-founder and CEO Vipin Jain expects to obtain one soon as food automation continues to rapidly expand, noting that the food robotics market is projected to top $4 billion by 2026.

31

A X N E W S C O N F E R E N C E I S S U E 2 0 2 3