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Multi-lingual robots greet first Olympic delegation in Beijing

by Rob Peters | July 28, 2008 at 10:03 am

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Whether you're for or against the Beijing Olympics, you have to admit being welcomed by a massive robot at the airport would be pretty cool. Apparently they sing, dance, and provide useful information in 12 languages. I wonder though, is there any fear of a Hal-9000 resurgence? Killer robots could prove to be a little awkward for the host country.

Check out a video of the robotic splendour here.

BEIJING - The Polish delegation, the first of the delegations to the Beijing Olympic Games, arrived at the Beijing Capital International Airport around 6:35 am on Sunday, marking the beginning of mass Olympic arrival which China is poised to welcome in the coming days.

A lovely human-size robot of Beijing Olympic Mascot, Huanhuan, awaited outside of the luggage claiming hall, singing joyful Chinese songs to welcome the Polish delegation which emerged at around 8:15 am.

For the next several weeks [the robots] will act as special volunteers, welcoming guests from home and abroad. The five Fuwa mascots are truly versatile. They dance pretty well. They sing a couple of folk songs. They have excellent foreign language skills.

Each communicates in 12 foreign languages including English, French, German and Japanese. The robots are furnished with a wealth of information. Visitors can touch the monitor screens on the robots' chests to find out about the airport and other relevant information.