Boulder’s Misty Robotics has made it easier to turn its robots into front-desk workers
/It can’t clean a bathroom or turn down a king-sized bed. It doesn’t have the gripping hands — or the size, for the matter — necessary for such tasks.
With proper finishing work by a developer and some software integration, however, it’s possible that a Misty II robot could check someone in at a hotel’s front desk and maybe even recommend a good restaurant for dinner.
Boulder’s Misty Robotics earlier this month unveiled its Misty as a Concierge application template. Launched at the CES tech show in Las Vegas, the bit of code provides a programming head start for people that own one of the company’s Misty II robots, making it easier for those owners to turn the tiny machine (14 inches tall and weighing 6 pounds) into a greeter, a payment taker, an attendant at an eldercare facility or outfit it for a number of other tasks.
The template builds on Misty’s II ability to detect humans nearby and interact with them by integrating with third-party software platforms such as FourSquare, company officials say.