Robot unveils Smartworks' new co-work centre in Bengaluru, talks to guests

It's not every day that you see a presentation delivered by a host made of metal and wires. But that's what Smartworks, a co-working company, did when it engaged a robot to host an event organised to open its new facility in Bengaluru's tech centre, Bellandur, on Thursday.   

Developed by a Bengaluru start-up, Invento Robotics, Mitri, the R2D2-styled robot, gave the opening speech and even chatted with intrigued guests at the end.  

Its creator claims the robot interacts with humans and can carry out tasks that we have come to expect from virtual assistants. Plus, it also draws its hand out for a handshake when one smiles at it.

The robot's presence at the event was the result of a collaboration between Smartworks and Invento Robotics, where the two have signed an order to have Mitri at some of the Smartworks centres across India.

Smartworks, launched is 2016, creates shared office spaces solely focused on enterprise clients. The Gurugram-based company has 20 centres across nine cities. 

Invento Robotics has programmed Mitri to serve as an in-house assistant for Smartworks. That means it can be used for punch-ins (through face recognition using in-built camera on the robot), answering general queries such as directions, etc, and manage the visitor logs. Its scope will be expanded in the months to come, said Smartworks founder Neetish Sarda. 

"Having Mitri in the lobby is not only an attraction for visitors, it goes to give a sense of how we have used technology at every facet of our office design and management," added Sarda.

Smartworks' latest facility has the capacity to seat 6,000 people and covers an area of 300,000 square feet.