KLM trials robot that takes your hand bags to the gate

In true KLM style, Care-E is bright blue.

Care-E is a self-driving trolley that guides passengers through the airport and can carry their hand baggage.

To use the robot, passengers scan their boarding pass at the scanner on Care-E. It reads the barcode details and those tell it the passenger name and flight number.

It then uses its AI technology to find out from KLM and the airport systems what gate number to head for and how to get there.

Passengers can pop their hand baggage on board the robot and it will carry it at a nice walking pace to the gate. So passengers can walk alongside their bag.

KLM is testing the robot and is planning to trial it at New York JFK and San Francisco International later in 2018.

The trouble with…

It’s a trial and it will be interesting to see how it works. But robots like this have also been trialed elsewhere. And the same questions come up for Care-E.

Will passengers really like lots of little blue devices perhaps clogging up the airport even more?

And what about liabilities? It takes you to the wrong gate, you miss your flight, it bumps into toddlers or big fold ankles and so on. Who is responsible?

And it does look like a big blue toilet seat.

KLM and robots at the airport

KLM has previously trialled a much larger robot to help passengers get around the airport.

In March 2016, the airline successfully completed several tests at Amsterdam Schiphol with Spencer a life-sized robot.

Robots at airports around the world

The number of robots trialed at airports (and ports) is increasing and includes:

Kokoro, the very human like assistant at Narita, AnBot at Shenzhen Airport with the cattle prod and the Sheldon Cooper lookalike at Indianapolis remain our favourites.

N.B. Image credit: youtube/KLM

Internet links

KLM (KL)