Klaas Koerten
Klaas Koerten is originally from Haarlem, the Netherlands. With some side projects focusing on Architecture and Industrial Design, he graduated at Delft University of Technology on the topic of human-machine interactions, which focused on designing control interfaces that humans and automated systems operate simultaneously. The goal of this was to make optimal use of the qualities of humans and automated systems. In 2021 he started as a researcher of hospitality robotics at Hotelschool The Hague.
One of the first findings in our research was the fact that there is a dichotomy between robotics research and hospitality research. The research at Hotelschool The Hague aims to be an early step in closing this gap. When robotics and hospitality researchers join hands, new aspects of hospitality robotics can be explored that as of yet are unheard of. If designed the right way, the resulting solutions could contribute to more efficient hotel management, more consistent quality, more interesting jobs for hotel employees and more hospitable experiences for hotel guests.
My interest used to be just technology. However, after my graduation project on human-machine interactions, I have found out that designing technologic solutions is one thing, but tailoring it to the needs of the humans that will use it is quite a different challenge. Hospitality robotics will always be used in a working environment where they need to operate alongside humans. How these interactions are designed and how they influence a hospitality venue are really interesting subjects to explore and Hotelschool The Hague offers the possibility to perform actual experiments in a working environment.