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Her name is Beatrice, in memory of Dante Alighieri. She measures nearly two meters tall and weighs 150 kilos. She moves confidently and speaks 30 languages. For some time now she has been employed as hostess at Stazione Futuro, one of the key events in Turin held to mark the 150th anniversary of the unification of Italy. Beatrice is, in fact, a robot. Her incredible ability to interact grabs people’s attention and creates a unique and playful experience for visitors, as Italy’s president, Giorgio Napolitano, discovered when he opened the event. Beatrice can move autonomously, thanks to an advanced navigation system and laser sensors that reveal the presence of obstacles, so to avoid any unwanted encounters. Above all, Beatrice speaks in a natural voice, and can also sing and joke, thanks to speech synthesis software from Loquendo. The robot, created by Arneis, was conceived as a means of communication, a guide, and an information point for any events or settings where large crowds are present (e.g. trade fairs, exhibitions, museums, airports and transport hubs), and where the aim is to intrigue, excite, and engage in playful and safe interaction. “We are very proud to have given voice to Beatrice,” says Daniela Melfa, Loquendo's Italian sales manager. “Arneis is a young, dynamic company of tremendous creativity and innovation. The public’s enthusiastic response and amazement confirms the ever-present interest in robotics and artificial intelligence. It is an acknowledgement of their ability, and often undervalued potential, to interact with and relate to people, young and old, male and female.” "With Loquendo, we have put our mark on the voice of Beatrice,” says Andrea Villa, CEO of Arneis. “We didn’t just want Beatrice to speak; we wanted to create a personality. Loquendo proved itself to be the right choice for this project: excellently and intuitively designed software, achieving a level of sophistication which guarantees naturalness and creates exactly the right tone for our robot." Beatrice can be seen in action at Turin’s ‘Officine Grandi Riparazioni’ until November 30.
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