As technology continues to evolve, so does society. We may not be anywhere near what The Jetsons experienced, but that classic 1960s cartoon has surely had an influence on its millions of viewers who have yearned for a robot like Rosie; one who would clean the house, cook, and cater to a family’s every need.
What was fiction at one point in society, will soon be a reality; that is, in Nagasaki, Japan, this upcoming July.
On July 17th, the Henn-na Hotel will open at the Huis Ten Bosch. According to japan-guide.com, the Huis Ten Bosch is a sprawling theme park that features Dutch style buildings, theaters, museums, shops, restaurants, and windmills.
The Henn-na Hotel will have ten robots as members of the staff. These humanoid robots are able to do hotel tasks, such as cleaning rooms, carrying luggage and even assisting guests with problems or concerns, according to the Washingtonpost.com. These robots are also referred to as “actroids,” since they possess human-like characteristics such as breathing and blinking. Additionally, they are a mirror image of a typical young Japanese woman. These 10 particular actroids are supplied from a robot company, Kokoro, and have been in development since 2003. Additionally, these actroids are bilingual, having the ability to speak fluent Japanese, English, Chinese and Korean.
According to CNN.com, Henn roughly translates into English meaning change or strange, depending on the context of the sentence. Either way, both translations will definitely fit the description of the ultra-modern 72 room hotel. Guests will have additional amenities, such as facial recognition software to unlock their door, radiation panels to detect body heat to control the temperature of the room, and even a tablet assigned to each room for work, play, or to contact the hotel staff.
Oddly enough, Henn-na will be located in Nagasaki’s historic 17th century Dutch Settlement area. Rooms start at approximately $60 a night with majority of these amenities included, although there are additional amenities that can be requested, such as a room with a view. Additionally, the hotel will have 10 real live human beings working with these superior robots. Hideo Sawada, The company president, states, “We will have the most efficient hotel in the world.” The Henn-na Hotel is exceptionally advanced, along with other robots, according to Washingtonpost.com such as Nao, a 23 inch robot can speak 19 languages fluently, and even an unnamed robot with 24 fingers to wash and style hair. The advancements of actroids and humanoids is on the rise in the near future.