As of Thursday, the first robot in Romania designed to monitor museum spaces becomes operational at the Palace of Culture in Iasi.

Iasi Palace of Culture Manager Andrei Apreotesei said the robot is tasked with monitoring exhibitions and will alert visitors if they get too close to an exhibit.

'This is an integration of technology into the traditional museum visit experience, and at the same time, an upgrade we're implementing on this scale to offer visitors a more pleasant experience. This is a supervisory robot, not a curator or conservator. Essentially, for eight hours a day, during museum opening hours, it moves from room to room, alerts the public, and records continuously, 24/7. It warns visitors if it detects overcrowding, for example, if there are 50 people in a space meant for 30. In practice, it does what a human supervisor would do: monitor, warn and ensure compliance. Of course, it's also a delight for children,' Andrei Apreotesei explained for AGERPRES.

He also mentioned the desire to eventually integrate Artificial Intelligence, so the robot could also serve as a museum guide, providing visitors with information about the exhibits.

'The presence of such a robot also helps address a widespread issue across Romanian museums: the shortage of staff. Since we can no longer hold competitions to hire supervisors, a robot like this could be a suitable alternative,' Apreotesei added. AGERPRES (RO - writing by: Daniela Malache; EN - writing by: Adina Panaitescu)