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About The Asian reporter. (Portland, Or.) 1991-current | View Entire Issue (July 20, 2015)
The Asian Reporter Pacific Northwest News q Volume 25 Number 14 q July 20, 2015 q www.asianreporter.com Robots do check-in and check-out at cost-cutting hotel in Japan Japan launches free Wi-Fi on Mount Fuji Page 3 Gushiken at last happy as a boxer Page 4 ROBOT RECEPTIONIST. A receptionist dinosaur robot is seen at the new robot hotel, aptly called Henn na Hotel, or Weird Hotel, in Sasebo, southwestern Japan. From the receptionist that does the check-in and check-out to the porter that’s an automated trolley taking luggage up to the room, the hotel, that is run as part of the Huis Ten Bosch amusement park, is “manned” almost entirely by robots to save on labor costs. (AP Photo/Shizuo Kambayashi) By Yuri Kageyama AP Business Writer ASEBO, Japan — The English- speaking receptionist is a vicious- looking dinosaur, and the one speaking Japanese is a female humanoid with blinking lashes. “If you want to check in, push one,” the dinosaur says. The visitor still has to punch a button on the desk, and type in information on a touch panel screen. From the front desk to the porter that’s an automated trolley taking luggage up to the room, this hotel in southwestern S Women’s soccer teams show up male rivals Page 9 The Asian Reporter 922 N. Killingsworth St. Portland, OR 97217 USA Japan, aptly called the Weird Hotel, is “manned” almost entirely by robots to save on labor costs. Hideo Sawada, who runs the hotel as part of an amusement park, insists using robots is not a gimmick, but a serious effort to utilize technology and achieve effi- ciency. Henn na Hotel, as it is called in Japanese, was shown recently to reporters, complete with robot demonstrations, ahead of its opening to the public. Another feature of the hotel is the use of facial recognition technology, instead of the standard electronic keys, by register- ing the digital image of the guest’s face during check-in. The reason? Robots aren’t good at finding keys, if people happen to lose them. A giant robotic arm, usually seen in manufacturing, is encased in glass quarters in the corner of the lobby. It lifts one of the boxes stacked into the wall and puts it out through a space in the glass, where a guest can place an item in it, to use as a locker. The arm will put the box back into the wall, until the guest wants it again. The system is called “robot cloak room.” Continued on page 2 8 rotating draft selections along with 175+ bottled west coast craft beer, hard ciders and sodas in a friendly neighborhood location Overwhelmed by debt? Want a fresh start? 4214 N. Mississippi Ave Portland, OR 971-255-1621 www.beercitybottleshop.com ★ LOW-COST BANKRUPTCY ★ Free consultation ★ Stop foreclosure and garnishment ★ Evening and weekend appointments KELLY K. BROWN BANKRUPTCY ATTORNEY 503·224·4124 www.kellybrown.com 520 SW Yamhill · Suite 420 · Portland 97204 · We are a debt relief agency. We help people file for bankruptcy under the Bankruptcy Code. PRSRT STD US POSTAGE PAID Portland, OR Permit # 2474 L O T T E R Y G A M E S A R E B A S E D O N C H A N C E A N D S H O U L D B E P L A Y E D F O R E N T E R TA I N M E N T O N LY
