'Relay' will be your next hotel butler

19th February 2016

Savioke

Enaie Azambuja

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Relay, a three-foot-tall robotic butler, has been rolling out in a number of hotels across the US within the last couple months, like the Marriott hotel near Los Angeles Airport. Developed by Silicon Valley startup company Savioke, the robot takes the elevator, greets you at your door, and even giggles when you give your stay a positive rating. Relay doesn't have a face, just two tiny white eyes on its main display panel, but its adorability still comes through when users give the robot praise for doing a good job.

A five-star rating elicits a digital squeal and a little robot shimmy — no tip required.

Relay manages to be so dutiful thanks to a WiFi connection and 3D cameras located in the machine.

Once a user inputs the correct room number, Relay sets to work on delivering the resident's overpriced goods. Since it has no fingers or limbs, it waits patiently for a human to press the elevator button.

Tessa Lau, the so-called Chief Robot Whisperer at Savioke, says in a promotional video for Relay that one of the main priorities was making the robot convenient and exciting.

"We want to make sure that when people receive that delivery in a hotel, it's exactly what they expect," she explains, "and moreover that they love interacting with our robot because we want it to be a fun experience for them."

Over the last year, Relay has gone through six different prototypes. The latest version is one the developers anticipate being pretty close to its final form — the one that hotels will hopefully begin phasing into their normal staff.

At some point, Relay may even outshine Japan's Weird Hotel, where nearly the entire staff is comprised of robots.