• Menu
  • Menu
  • Business
  • Subscribe now
    Digital subscription Print subscription ePaper subscription
  • Logout
Digital subscription
Print subscription
ePaper subscription
Trending
UAE holidays 2024 Corporate Tax News on WhatsApp The Kurator COP28
  • Latest News
  • UAE
    • People
    • Science
    • Government
    • Education
    • Crime
    • Emergencies
    • Environment
      • COP28
    • Health
      • Why Worry
    • Transport
    • Weather
    • COP28
  • Living In UAE
    • Visa+Immigration
    • Housing
    • Phone+Internet
    • Banking
    • Transport
    • Health
    • Education
    • Relocate
    • Reader Queries
    • Safety+Security
  • Business
    • Banking & Insurance
    • Aviation
      • Dubai Airshow
    • Property
    • Tax News
    • Corporate Tax
    • Analysis
    • Travel & Tourism
    • Markets
    • Retail
    • Corporate News
    • Tech
    • Auto
  • Best Buys
    • Electronics
    • Home and Kitchen
    • Offers
    • Consumables
    • Lifestyle
  • Your Money
    • Saving and Investment
    • Budget Living
    • Taxation
    • Expert Columns
    • Community Tips
    • Cryptocurrency
  • Food
    • Cooking and Cuisines
    • Guide to Cooking
    • Videos
  • Friday
    • Beauty
    • Wellbeing
    • Art & People
    • Home
    • Friday Partner
  • Games
    • Daily Crossword
    • Sudoku
    • Word Search
    • Spell It
    • Play
  • Podcasts
  • World
    • Gulf
      • Bahrain
      • Kuwait
      • Oman
      • Qatar
      • Saudi
      • Yemen
    • Mena
    • Europe
    • Africa
    • Americas
    • Asia
      • India
      • Pakistan
      • Philippines
    • Australia-New Zealand
    • Corrections
  • Opinion
    • Columnists
    • Editorials
    • Letters
    • From the Editors
  • Special Reports
  • Parenting
    • Pregnancy & Baby
    • Learning & Play
    • Child Health
    • For Mums & Dads
    • Ask Us
    • Games
  • UAE Success Stories
  • Magical Dubai
    • Dubai Life
    • Live the Luxury
    • Culture and History
    • Adventure
    • Staying Connected
  • Photos
    • News
    • Entertainment
    • Lifestyle
    • Business
    • Sports
  • Sport
    • UAE Sport
    • Cricket
      • IPL
        • Chennai
        • Delhi
        • Punjab
        • Kolkata
        • Mumbai
        • Rajasthan
        • Bangalore
        • Hyderabad
        • Gujarat
        • Lucknow
        • Live Scores
        • Point Table
        • Top Scorers
      • ICC
      • ICC World Cup 2023
        • Live Scores
        • Top Scorers
        • Point Table
        • Schedule
    • Motorsport
    • Football
    • Tennis
    • Golf in UAE
      • UAE
      • World
      • Photos & Videos
      • Course Reviews
      • Learn to Play
      • Gear
  • Entertainment
    • Hollywood
    • Bollywood
    • South Indian
    • Arab Celebs
    • Music
    • OTT
  • Going Out
  • Auto
  • Lifestyle
    • Health+Fitness
    • Community
    • Fashion
  • GN Reach
  • Tech
    • Electronics
      • Gitex Global 2023
    • Gaming
    • Media
    • Gitex Global 2023
  • Videos
    • How-To
    • Best Of Bollywood
    • News
    • Entertainment
    • Business
    • Sport
    • Community
    • Technology
  • GN Focus
    • Special Features
  • Know Plan Go
  • The Kurator
    • Life
    • Luxury
    • Style
  • Gold-Forex
  • Gratuity Calculator
  • Notifications
  • Gold/Forex
  • Prayer Times
  • Cinema Listing
  • GN Store
  • About Gulf News
  • Contact us
  • Work with us
  • Terms and Conditions
  • Privacy Policy
  • Advertise with us
  • Reach by GN
  • GN Focus
  • Gulf News epaper
  • Sitemap
  • Have your say
  • Printing Services
    • © Al Nisr Publishing LLC 2023. All rights reserved.
    Photos: Persephone, the robot guide, leads visitors in a Greek cave

    Photos

    Login / Sign Up
    Logout
    Monday, December 11, 2023
    Gold / Forex

    Photos Business

    • News
    • Entertainment
    • Lifestyle
    • Business
    • Sports
    All Sections

    Photos: Persephone, the robot guide, leads visitors in a Greek cave

    Robot can give its part of the tour in 33 languages and interact at a basic level

    Published:  August 19, 2021 16:32 AP
    Follow us
    1 of 11
    Greece_Cave_Robot
    Alistrati: Persephone is a tour guide in Greece, but perhaps not the type people are used to. Billed as the world's first robot tour guide inside a cave, Persephone has been welcoming visitors since mid-July to the Alistrati Cave in northern Greece. The multilingual robot covers the first 150 meters of the part of the cave that is open to the public. In the remaining 750 meters, a human guide takes over. Image Credit: AP
    2 of 11
    Greece_Cave_Robot
    The robot was named Persephone because, according to one version of the ancient Greek myth, it was in a nearby plain that Pluto _ the god of the underworld who was also known as Hades _ abducted Persephone, with the consent of her father Zeus, to take her as his wife. The robot can give its part of the tour in 33 languages and interact at a basic level with visitors in three languages. It can also answer 33 questions, but only in Greek. Image Credit: AP
    3 of 11
    Greece_Cave_Robot
    Nikos Kartalis, the scientific director for the Alistrati site, had the idea of creating the robot when he saw one on TV guiding visitors at an art gallery. Seventeen years later, "we got our funds and the robot guide became a reality," Kartalis told The Associated Press. The robot was built by the National Technology and Research Foundation and cost 118,000 euros ($139,000). Image Credit: AP
    4 of 11
    Greece_Cave_Robot
    "We already have a 70% increase in visitors compared to last year since we started using" the robot, says Kartalis. "People are enthusiastic, especially the children, and people who had visited in the past are coming back to see the robot guide. It is something unprecedented for them, to have the ability to interact with their robot by asking it questions and the robot answering them. Many foreign visitors couldn't believe Greece had the capacity to build a robot and use it as a guide in the cave." Image Credit: AP
    5 of 11
    Greece_Cave_Robot
    The robot moves along a walkway, passing through an ornate landscape of stalactites and stalagmites. These varied formations can reach 15 meters (50 feet) tall and are seen throughout the cave's nearly 1 kilometer (1.6-mile) walkway, which is accessible to people with limited mobility. Image Credit: AP
    6 of 11
    Greece_Cave_Robot
    "This cave is one of the most beautiful, not only in Greece but in Europe, as well," says Kartalis. "It has stalactites and stalagmites in many shapes and colors, even red." He said the cave was 3 million years old and was first explored in 1974 by the Hellenic Speleological Society and a team of Austrian speleologists. It opened to visitors in 1998. Image Credit: AP
    7 of 11
    Greece_Cave_Robot
    Persephone, with a white body, black head and two luminous eyes, moves on wheels, guiding visitors to the first three of eight stops along the walkway. She can do two more stops, but her low speed slows down the tour, which is conducted in three languages simultaneously. Persephone's creators are considering ways to speed her up. Image Credit: AP
    8 of 11
    Greece_Cave_Robot
    The robot's begins by saying: "My name is Persephone, I am the daughter of the goddess Demeter and the wife of Pluto, the god of the underworld. I welcome you to my under Earth kingdom, the Alistrati Cave.'' Many visitors are intrigued by the robot guide. Image Credit: AP
    9 of 11
    Greece_Cave_Robot
    Persephone is not the only technology used inside the cave. There's a cellphone app in which a visitor, scanning a QR code, can see the Alistrati Beroni. That's a microorganism that is only found in this cave, in the huge mounds of bat droppings left behind when the cave was opened and the bats migrated elsewhere. Image Credit: AP
    10 of 11
    Greece_Cave_Robot
    Evdokia Karafera is one of the tour guides who partners with the robot. "It is helpful, because it speaks many languages. There's just a little delay in the touring,'' she said. "Most find it fascinating, especially the children, and find it interesting that it speaks many languages." Image Credit: AP
    11 of 11
    Greece_Cave_Robot
    Persephone guides the visitors inside Alistrati cave, about 135 kilometers (84 miles) northeast of Thessaloniki, Greece, Monday, Aug. 2, 2021. Persephone, billed as the world's first robot used as a tour guide inside a cave, has been welcoming visitors to the Alistrati cave, since mid-July. Image Credit: AP

    Trending

    • Pictures: What Dubai Metro's Blue Line will look like

      Pictures: What Dubai Metro's Blue Line will look like

    • Indians could soon travel to this country visa-free

      Indians could soon travel to this country visa-free

    • Look: What awaits visitors at the Green Zone in Dubai

      Look: What awaits visitors at the Green Zone in Dubai

    • Top ten movies and shows to watch this weekend in UAE

      Top ten movies and shows to watch this weekend in UAE

    • Photos: Severe storms tear through central Tennessee

      Photos: Severe storms tear through central Tennessee

    • Look: 10 most expensive cities to live in

      Look: 10 most expensive cities to live in

    Latest In

    • Do this for 7 days and see your gut health improve

      24 minutes ago

    • Watch: Shoaib Akhtar meets victorious UAE Under-19 team

      46 minutes ago

    • Apple offers rewards for artists who use Dolby Atmos

      54 minutes ago

    • Bollywood divas of the 1990s come together

      1 hour ago

    • 17 injured after 2 trains collide head on in Italy

      1 hour ago
    Go back to top
    Network links:
    • GN Store
    • About Gulf News
    • Contact us
    • Work with us
    • Terms and Conditions
    • Privacy Policy
    • Advertise with us
    • Reach by GN
    • GN Focus
    • Gulf News epaper
    • Sitemap
    • Have your say
    • Printing Services
    Find us on Social
    © Al Nisr Publishing LLC 2023. All rights reserved.
    This website stores cookies on your computer. These cookies are used to improve your experience and provide more personalized service to you. Both on your website and other media. To find out more about the cookies and data we use, please check out our Privacy Policy.
    Share on Facebook
    Share on Twitter
    Share on Whatsapp
    Share on Mail
    Share on LinkedIn
    Copy link
    Follow on Whatsapp
    Follow on Google
    Follow on Telegram
    Close
    Gulf News

    Get Breaking News Alerts From Gulf News

    We’ll send you latest news updates through the day. You can manage them any time by clicking on the notification icon.

    Subscribe No Thanks
    Continue reading Gulf News
    Dear Reader, please register to read gulfnews.com

    Dear Reader,

    This section is about Living in UAE and essential information you cannot live without.

    Register to read and get full access to gulfnews.com

    Create your account
    or login if you already have one
    First name is required.
    Last name is required.
    Please enter a valid email address.
    Password should have minimum 7 characters with at least one letter and number
    Passwords do not match

    By clicking below to sign up, you're agreeing to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy

    Login your account
    New to Gulf News? Sign up now
    Please enter your email address.
    Please enter your password.

    Forgot password

    or