AVA the Advanced Virtual Assistant

Nov. 19, 2014

 Similar to a hologram, AVA, the Advanced Virtual Assistant, is an Avatar that activates when a customer approaches or passes. San Antonio International Airport has two – both in Terminal A security lines, one each in General Boarding and Pre-Check lines. The messages AVA puts out are tailored appropriately to General Boarding and Pre-üTM passengers. Avatar messages include information about proper identification, divesting, items to be placed in bins and prohibited items. Located in SAT’s Terminal A with daily flights to Mexico, each avatar’s messages are scripted fully in English and in Spanish and alternate when activated. Airus Media Inc. created and manufactured the Avitar, which can be customized to an airport's specific needs. “Creating the a realistic avatar is truly an art that requires creativity and skills,” says Patrick Bienvenu, COO of Airus Media, Inc., the creator and manufacturer, “Producing and manufacturing “Eva” is a complex process involving high end videography, digital engineering, computer programming, graphics, and manufacturing.” Each of San Antonio’s avatars is 5’6” tall with a life-size image of the presenter digitally projected onto an inch-thick glass screen coated with a state-of-the-art film.  The avatar location in each line corresponds to the spot in the checkpoint’s queue where passengers begin to stand, during peak times.  The device uses motion sensors to prompt Eva’s 90-second scripts when a customer is within 30 feet. Only a handful of airports in the United States have introduced similar avatars, including Washington Dulles, Boston Logan and LaGuardia, Newark and Kennedy in the New York City-area. According to the Avatar manufacturer and producer, SAT is the first known installation of an avatar for use in TSA pre-check security screening.

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