Matrix Robotics says its MATRIX-3 humanoid worked as a tour guide at the China International Import Expo in Shanghai. In a November 11 company release, it describes the appearance as the robot’s first guided-tour use in a real public setting.

The company says MATRIX-3 detected visitors, retrieved information, answered questions and coordinated speech with walking and gestures in a crowded, noisy exhibition hall. It says the system did not need an operator to control the dialogue line by line.

What Matrix says ran the demonstration

Matrix credits its WAVE model with interpreting visitors’ intentions, retrieving information and planning dialogue. A separate motion-control model handled movement. The company describes the split as a “brain-cerebellum” system.

MATRIX-3 stands 1.70 metres tall and weighs 65 kilograms, according to the release.

What the release leaves open

The announcement gives no count of completed tours or operating hours. Its claim about dialogue control does not establish that the robot worked without human help: the release does not say whether staff intervened, or how often.