LG to unveil new service robots at Las Vegas Consumer Electronics Show 2018
South Korean electronics giant plans to showcase three new robots at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas next week.
These robots will be aimed for use in the tertiary sector. Three concept models are ready for showcase which the company hopes will eventually be used in hotels, airports and supermarkets.
According to CNBC, an LG spokesperson has said the robots are still a “concept” product and as such are “a long way from ready to go public”.
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One robot will be able to deliver food and drink to customers at hotels and airport lounges, the second will be able to check guests in and out of hotels and carry luggage to rooms, and the third will be able to work with customers at supermarkets by conducting price checks and guiding them through sales.
With whole hotels in Japan staffed by robots, and a hotel in Singapore having recently won an award for its room service robot, this use of robots in the hospitality sector is not unprecedented.
With around 50% of the global workforce employed in the tertiary sector, job loss is a concern.
However robots are already replacing people in manufacturing, but often the introduction of new technologies only temporarily reduces job availability, often simply meaning workers nee to retrain.
LG’s current product offering includes televisions, mobile devices and home appliances. Headquartered in Seoul, it has over 80,000 employees and 119 subsidiaries around the world.
The 2018 Consumer Electronics Show takes place from 9-12th January this year and has been running for 50 years. It is run by the Consumer Technology Association and promises to be a “global stage where next-generation innovators are introduced to the marketplace”. Last year over 180,000 people attended.
