It Must be the Robots

My partiality to things Asian (especially things Korean) will well and truly be outed here...

For years I've been telling anyone that would listen to me how effective and pleasurable it is to use international airports in Asia. (Try starting up a conversation with that as an opener...). This may be because they're some of the most modern around – but they are some of the most enjoyable and easiest to use too. Hong Kong International Airport and South Korea's Incheon International Airport being 'el supremo airports' for me. I would (almost) happily spend hours there. Actually, I have (spent hours at HK on occasion). I used to enjoy Japan's Narita too, but that's now been updated and is sprawled over multiple terminals (but the modern bits are very nice), and Thailand's new Suvarnabhumi airport I'm yet to visit.

Asian international airports swept the field in the recent 2006 Airports Council International (ACI) Airport Service Quality Awards. The top four airports were: 1. Incheon in South Korea, 2. Hong Kong, 3. Kuala Lumpur in Malaysia and 4. Singapore. But I could have told you that already.

And a factor that would have significantly contributed to South Korea's 'service quality' success would be their friendly, tireless and extremely helpful airport robots.

On our trip to Korea last year I eagerly awaited alighting at the strikingly designed Incheon airport. I secretly hoped a friendly robot would rush up to me (like in this video) and inform me of as much airport-centric information as I could handle. But alas, no robots met us. They must have been off getting their wheels greased. I know the feeling – it's the first thing I do after spending hours at an airport.

My brother, on a recent stay there, was much luckier. He met a robot. Had a wow of a robot-time.

Koreans (and their neighbours the Japanese) have a profound fascination with robots. We've seen the Sony dogs (Aibo) and more, and Korea has even been developing a "Robot Ethics Charter to cover standards for users and manufacturers" and they're even drawing up an "ethical code to prevent humans abusing robots, and vice versa".

That's because they're keen to have a robot in every home by 2020. When I think of my mother-in-law's rice cooker that talks, wakes you up and tells you that your morning rice is ready, you realise that such developments in robotry are eminently feasible.

At the very least you'll get a punctual, polite, walking, talking rice cooker that knows its way round an airport.

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