Robotic butlers could be coming to a hotel near you

Robotic butlers could be coming to a hotel near you
(Image credit: Twitter.com/CNBC)

It looks like we're another step closer to having robots take over everything.

On Aug. 20, the Aloft hotel in Cupertino, California, will start a pilot program using a robotic butler (or Botlr) named A.L.O. (pronounced "el-oh"). Guests will be able to call the front desk and request items like extra towels or toothpaste, and a staff member will load it onto the Botlr and send it up to the room. Once the hotel room's number has been punched in, the Botlr makes its way through the hallways and to the elevator using Wi-Fi. If it works, you'll see Botlr fleets at close to 100 properties.

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Catherine Garcia, The Week US

Catherine Garcia has worked as a senior writer at The Week since 2014. Her writing and reporting have appeared in Entertainment Weekly, The New York Times, Wirecutter, NBC News and "The Book of Jezebel," among others. She's a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.