Several New York airports will be the first to offer travelers access to the Airport Virtual Assistant, or AVA, who looks like something out of EA’s Mass Effect series of games.
The JFK, Newark Liberty and LaGuardia airports will be playing host to AVA, who is designed to provide airport information. The virtual assistants will be programmed to provide directions and notify travelers about upcoming security checkpoints. According to a Port Authority spokesperson:
“The script will be customized for each airport, but the avatars will be wearing the same red coats that our customer service agents wear and will provide general information that customers typically ask for, such as the location of the bathrooms, the buses and the car rentals.”
The avatars are not all that complex, being made up of pre-recorded video clips that provide the necessary information. These clips are displayed on a human-shaped section of plexiglass and played when someone approaches the assistant’s location. The company that created AVA are reportedly working on more interactive versions of the hologram that will respond to questions about the airport.
Source: DigitalTrends