Robot mascots welcome visitors at airport

You've probably seen them as part of keychains, printed on T-shirts or filled with air, but now the Fuwa mascots have gone digital. Those who arrive at Beijing's Capital International airport will get a welcome by the "Fuwa" robot mascots.

Those who arrive at Beijing's Capital International airport will get a welcome by the "Fuwa" robot mascots.

This is Huanhuan, one of the five macots, greeting some visitors. For over a week now, the five mascots have been attracting lots of attention and entertaining people at the brand new terminal 3. With a special built-in microphone, these robots can have basic conversations with passengers since they're capable of reciting over 100 sentences in either Chinese or English.

They can perform simple greetings in 12 languages, sing Olympic songs, give directions and recommend scenic spots. They also have handy screens on their "bellies" that display flight information and information on the city.

Those who arrive at Beijing's Capital International airport will get a welcome by the "Fuwa" robot mascots.

Gao Qingji, robot designer said "There are five Olympic mascots, the five Fuwas. So, we were thinking of designing five mascot robots to combine the Olympics with high-tech technology. We just want to show a warm welcome by placing the mascot robots at the airport--passengers first stop in our country."

Li Jia, one passenger said "I think the mascot robots represent our country. They are so smart, you can take pictures with them or talk to them. They are very good. I like them."