Meet Olly - the Land Transport Authority (LTA) will trial the humanoid robot at Little India MRT station on the Downtown Line from Aug 31 to Sep 11.
It will be making its rounds on weekdays from 10am to noon. LTA added that the robot will not be out and about on its own, and that a team of officers will be following closely behind at all times.
The droid is part of LTA’s efforts to explore how technologies powered by artificial intelligence can help support public transport operations.
In response to queries, LTA said: “Little India MRT Station is one of the stations with a simpler station layout, that would provide a good test-bed for some of our initial use cases.”
It is also close to the LTA office, where the robot will be charged daily, it added.
The robot – in a video clip accompanying the post – can be heard saying it can guide commuters, help them find their way around, and answer questions about the rail system and LTA.
LTA said the robot is now undergoing testing and mapping functions to familiarise itself with the station’s environment, and asked commuters for their patience and understanding.
In May, LTA deputy chief executive of infrastructure and development Yee Boon Cheow said humanoid robots could be helping out at train stations in 10 to 15 years.
Speaking at a Straits Times roundtable discussion, he added that humanoid robots can one day take on routine tasks like station patrols or answering simple commuter queries, thereby freeing station staff to focus on higher-value work and customer service.
Mr Yee said humanoids could also help with physically demanding tasks like heavy lifting, for instance, in a depot. THE STRAITS TIMES
