BENGALURU: Come Thursday, customers will be greeted by a robot named “IRA 2.0 ” (IRA, stands for ‘Interactive Robot Assistant’) at a private bank. This will be the second bank in Bengaluru to have a robot to help customers after Canara Bank introduced these at two of its branches in September 2017.
HDFC bank will be having a demonstration of this robot at its Koramangala branch to highlight its uses and in a larger view, to promote technological advancements in the banking sector. This robot is all set to make its entry into the banking sphere by serving as a user-friendly guide to bankers working at the branch.
This humanoid is claimed to be a hybrid of Artificial Intelligence (AI), a domain of intelligence demonstrated by machines as compared to humans and Siri, Apple’s virtual assistant that takes in data through voice and text to necessitate appropriate replies or actions intended to make the operating system more interactive and user-friendly. While standing in front of the robot, the user would be recognised by a camera fitted on the screen attached within the robot.
The users could put forth any query regarding their account or directions to specific areas of the bank and the robot would guide them appropriately, personally escorting the user to the designated cabin.
This navigation would be facilitated by GPRS systems installed in the four corners of the bank and one on the head of the robot itself.
Sources in HDFC Bank claimed that frequent visitors to its Koramangala branch where the robot is deployed would prompt various pop-ups upon interaction. The robot is developed and employed in state-of-the-art technique by Invento Makerspaces, a robotics company in Koramangala.