Saudi authorities have designated a smart guiding robot at the Grand Mosque to provide fatwa services with instant translation in 11 global languages. The Presidency of Religious Affairs in Saudi Arabia has employed modern technology and artificial intelligence to enhance the services offered to pilgrims and visitors, by utilizing smart robots to guide them on how to perform rituals and provide electronic religious rulings concerning the holy sites.
The guiding robot operates in 11 languages: Arabic, English, French, Russian, Persian, Turkish, Malay, Urdu, Chinese, Bengali, and Hausa. The digital fatwas from scholars and clerics in the holy mosques enrich the experience of pilgrims in these 11 global languages.
The journey of responding to inquiries and issuing fatwas by scholars in the holy mosques has evolved over the past decades. The robot is equipped with a 21-inch touchscreen display, enabling various services that are important to visitors of the Grand Mosque, including guidance, advice, and feedback.
Additionally, the robot features four wheels with an intelligent stop system that allows for smooth and flexible movement, along with high-resolution front and bottom cameras for clear image transmission, enabling an ambient capture of the surroundings. It also has high-definition speakers and a high-quality microphone that ensure clear audio transmission. The robot operates on a wireless "Wi-Fi" network at a speed of "5 GHz", facilitating rapid and high-volume data transfer.
