Tata Sons and Singapore Airlines have teamed up to create Vistara, a company focused on robotics.
The first stage of the collaboration is the development of RADA, a customer service robot that can not only offer passengers at Delhi Airport answers to their questions, but can also entertain them while they wait for their plane.
RADA’s key tasks at the moment include scanning boarding passes and offering information about the terminal, such as the eateries and shops, where departure gates are and information about flights. It can also give passengers information about Vistara’s services – what kind of robot would it be if it didn’t offer some promotion for its maker?!
The robot communicated through voice, but can also offer hand gestures to make it appear more human. It moves along predefined pathways to its destination, patrolling the airport to find targets.
“Innovation is one of the core values engrained in the DNA of Vistara’s culture, which we have fostered within the organization in many ways,” Vistara’s Chief Executive Officer, Mr. LeslieThng said.
“RADA is a manifestation of this endeavour. Vistara has disrupted the market through several innovations with the sole objective of redefining air travel in the country, while making its processes more robust and resources more effective.
“With RADA, we aim to change the way people interact and fly with an airline. We will be developing ‘RADA’ based on customer feedback and equipping it with the most effective features in the time to come.”
RADA will patrol Vistara’s Signature Lounge at Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport’s Terminal 3 from 5 July 2018 to assist customers before they board their flights.
Vistara wants to keep evolving the robot, asking people for feedback to make sure it’s addressing the right concerns of passengers at the airport too.
