Robots in charge at Japanese hotel

FROM its front desk to the porter, a hotel in southwestern Japan is "manned" almost entirely by robots to save on labour costs.

THE English-speaking receptionist is a vicious-looking dinosaur and the one speaking Japanese is a female humanoid with blinking lashes.

"IF you want to check in, push one," the dinosaur says. The visitor still has to punch a button on the desk and type in information on a touch panel screen.