Travel accessory Yobot does not care about tips. In fact, he/she won’t take them.
Yobot is a huge one-armed luggage handler that will be on hand when the Yotel opens in New York City. The robot is the first one of its kind but more are expected.
The Yotel line stresses small and cozy accommodations. Some, such as outlets at London’s Gatwick, and Heathrow, and Amsterdam’s Schiphol, book rooms by the hour.
The robot was one of many high-tech hotel features showcased at a preopening launch at the hotel near Times Square in New York City.
Yobot, a direct descendant of the robots working in automobile-assembly plants, deftly grabs, lifts and stores baskets containing luggage.
Guests needing to store luggage start Yobot with their room cards and then follow instructions on a video screen as the luggage hatchway opens and closes before Yobot goes to work.
By David Wilkening
