Meet CORA, a court robot greeter being tested at the Michigan's Ottawa County courthouse in Grand Haven and billed as the first court robot greeter in the country.
The robot moves and can direct visitors to different locations in the courthouse, answer "frequently asked questions," show court dockets and provide information about judges and referees. The robot speaks in both English and Spanish.
CORA is short for court-operated robotic assistant. Cora also is the name of the first Ottawa County probate judge, Cora VandeWater, and courthouse employees voted to name the robot in her honor. She served from 1933 to 1948.
A company called Advanced Robot Solutions designed the robot and has made robots for other uses, such as airports, trade shows and hospitals.
CORA will be at the Grand Haven courthouse through Friday.
In a description posted to Facebook, Ottawa County officials wrote the following:
"Along with her utility, CORA can also entertain you with a dance or take a selfie."
©2018 The Grand Rapids Press, Mich. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
