Meet MSC’s new robotic crew members and their dog – is this the face of cruising’s future?

• MSC Cruises is adding new robot and canine crew members as part of new onboard entertainment.
• These new robots come from the Chinese robotics company Unitree Robotics and are already being used on MSC Bellissima.
• Cruise guests can enjoy meet and greets, parade and even robotics work shops. Where next?

MSC is claiming a cruising world first with robots and robot dogs on board two of their ships.

At this stage, they will meet and greet guests and take part in entertainment. But many in the industry are asking: where next?

With crews and unions concerned about the pay on board some Carnival ships, the arrival of the robots may well pose questions about how car robotics can go.

The robots come from Unitree Robotics, a Chinese robotics company based in Hangzhou.

They’ll be rolled out first on MSC Bellissima and MSC Magnifica. Part of the entertainment will include meet and greets with the robots, watching the robots perform in parades and even enjoying workshops that teach children about robotics and other new technologies.

For a look at what a robot parade might look like, check out this video from Unitree to celebrate the Chinese New Year.

MSC has always been keen to integrate this kind of technology into its fleet, offering a robotic bartender experience since 2021.

Steve Leatham, MSC Cruises’ vice president of entertainment. said: “As a family-owned company, we know how important it is to offer entertainment that brings generations together.

“There is something for everyone, wherever they choose to sail.”

While for now these robots will only serve as exciting new entertainment and a peak into the future of technology, moves like this do raise questions over what technological changes we might see on cruise ships over the coming decade or so.

Could it be that robots eventually replace or complement crew members and help with service jobs, cleaning and more? It’s hard to say for now, but it’s undeniable that the technology is developing fast, and MSC is looking to exhibit this in a fun and innovative way.

Time will show whether this is a novelty, or the beginning of a new normal.

Unitree does have videos online where its robots crack pistachios and serve drinks. It’s robots even won four gold medals at the ‘First World Humanoid Robot Games‘.

Cruise lines like Royal Caribbean and Norwegian Cruise Line also offer a robotic bartender concept on some of their ships, so we’ll be watching closely to see whether they follow MSC into this endeavour as well.