Mineta San Jose International Airport in California has partnered with Silicon Valley tech startup AvatarMind to showcase its new iPal humanoid robot and accompanying playground environment.
Designed as an educational and safety companion for children, iPal specializes in active learning, social interaction, and fosters an interest in science and technology. The iPal Playground includes a maze and interactive play space where visitors can sing, dance and talk with the child-sized robots, as well as explore their educational apps. The iPal Playground is located near Gate 25 in Terminal B.
John Ostrem, CEO of AvatarMind, said, “San Jose Airport is well-known as the ‘gateway’ to Silicon Valley, and the iPal Playground gives travelers exactly the type of high-tech, innovative experience they expect from the state-of-the-art facility.”
Available for public purchase later this year, the iPal robot not only helps parents keep an eye on children remotely with its built-in camera, microphone and mobile app-based monitoring capability, but also provides fun, age-appropriate, tablet-based educational content to supplement school curricula.
The iPal Playground expands on Mineta San Jose International’s recent deployment of its new robot customer service agents, designed to help passengers find retail and dining outlets, as well as other amenities.
Kim Becker, director of aviation at Mineta San Jose International Airport, said, “We are transforming the customer service experience for travelers at the airport, giving them the innovative, next-generation experience they’d expect from a world-class air travel hub. The iPal Playground provides young travelers, and the young at heart, a fun and active outlet from the sedentary nature of travel, and a chance to stretch their legs and their imaginations.”
Written by Dan Symonds