DUBAI: World expos have always been known for introducing new innovations and technologies. The telephone, Heinz tomato ketchup and the Eiffel Tower were all launched at expo events.
Robots are continuing that spirit of innovation by assisting and entertaining visitors throughout the six-month period of Expo 2020 Dubai, the Arab world’s biggest event to date.
Opti, a one-meter-tall orange-colored robot, is the guardian of the Opportunity Pavilion. This friendly robot takes part in Expo parades, and interacts with visitors by answering their questions, dancing with them and even telling jokes.
The Tala-bot helps to quickly serve guests their food. It is found in every Talabat kiosk at the site. People can give their order to Tala-bot, who will ask them to insert their location before handling the rest.
“This is kiosk four. If you are around this area, you input your location as kiosk four,” Malek Abdull, a worker for Talabat, told Arab News.
The Tala-bot then sends a QR code, which is scanned later when visitors pick up their order.
“It is easy like that, there is no need to go far or go to kitchen sites to get your order because our site is very hot,” Abdull said.
Another way to order food at the Expo site is through the Talabat application. People can produce their orders, insert their location — the nearest place to a Talabat kiosk — before receiving a QR code to receive their order.
A panda robot is also placed inside the Chinese Pavilion. The robot shakes hands with people and welcomes them to one of the biggest buildings on the site.
And finally, the Patrol robot is found on the walkways of Expo 2020 Dubai. It protects the site and metro station through facial recognition and thermal cameras. It also makes sure that visitors are maintaining social distancing.