Persephone, the first tourist guide robot in Greece
Persephone, the first robotic tour guide in an ancient cave in Greece, is known as Persephone. have been.
Alistrati Cave is 3 million years old and was first discovered in 1974 by the Greek Cave Association and a team of Austrian cavers and made available to visitors in 1998.
According to Greek mythology, Persephone is the name of the mistress of Hades, the god of the underworld. According to legend, Hades kidnapped Persephone while she was walking in the meadows of Sicily. Since the Alistrati cave is also located deep in the ground, this name is intended for the tourist guide robot.
This multilingual robot manages the first 150 meters of the Alistrati Cave, which is open to the public. In the remaining 750 meters from the cave, a human guide continues.
Persephone is able to communicate verbally with most international visitors because it is fluent in 33 different languages. He can also answer 33 questions from tourists, which is currently only available in Greek.
“My name is Persephone,” Persephone greets tourists. I am the daughter of the goddess Demeter and the wife of Pluto, the god of the underworld. “I welcome you into my kingdom, the Alistrati Cave.”
Nikos Kartalis, Alistrati’s director of science, came up with the idea when he saw the robot on television in an art gallery guiding visitors. “After seventeen years, we got the funding, and finally, the robot’s dream came true,” says Kartalis.
The robot was built by the National Foundation for Technology and Research and cost $ 139,000.
“We now have a 70% increase in visitors compared to last year,” Kartalis said. People are also eager, especially children and people who have traveled there in the past, to return to see Persephone. “It is unprecedented and surprising for tourists to be able to answer their questions through dialogue with the robot.”
Persephone has a white body, a black head and two glowing eyes, and guides visitors to the first three stops along the trail. He can stop at two other stations but his slow speed slows the tour. That’s why Persephone makers are looking at ways to speed it up.
“It came as a surprise to me,” said Patrick Marx, a visitor to the cave. I have never experienced such a thing. To be honest, I prefer a live guide, but this method is also very interesting. “This robot offers interesting explanations and, of course, it has a low speed, which I think is good and suitable for those who want to see the cave carefully.”
Robots will take on many jobs in the future. But many believe that they can not replace humans everywhere. “The idea of this robot was very interesting, but it can not replace human contact with the guide and the conversation we have on the way back,” visitors say.