Robots to provide advice and answers to pilgrims in Makkah

Makkah: The Guidance Robot is a new initiative from the General Presidency for the Affairs of the Grand Mosque and the Prophet’s Mosque. It is designed to provide advice to pilgrims, including guidance on how to perform rituals, as well as to provide fatwas on legal issues for performing Umrah. The robot is able to communicate in Arabic, English, and Urdu and is situated in the courtyard of the Grand Mosque, near the King Abdulaziz Gate.

The robot is commonly asked between 100 to 150 questions daily regarding Umrah rituals during Ramadan. The majority of people interacting with the robot are Saudi,



Syrian, Pakistani, or Indian, he added.

The robot is able to access information from numerous books, as well as advice provided by scholars from around the Arab world.

The Guidance Robot has a 21-inch touch screen and is equipped with four wheels and a ‘smart stopping system’ that ensures “smooth and flexible movement,” according to the presidency, as well as cameras at the front and rear that provide the robot with a panoramic image of its location, high-definition headphones and a microphone. It is connected to a high-speed 5GHz Wi-Fi network.