New Avatar Robot Helps People with Disabilities Travel Vicariously

Fly across the world—or home for Thanksgiving—without ever getting on a plane? Yes, it’s possible, writes Andrea Romano in Travel & Leisure. Whether it’s a fear of flying or difficulty due to a disability…there used to be so many roadblocks to travel. Now? there’s a robot for that. Japanese airline All Nippon Airways (ANA HD) has plans for a “telepresence robot,” called “Newme” that allows you to travel around the world without boarding a plane. READ MORE

OUR TAKE: For once, the news isn’t about how robots are coming to take our jobs. They’ll be working for and with us, helping the 40 million people who have mobility issues, according to the U.S. according to the Centers for Disease Control.  The future of travel is coming to an airport near you. 

And the future of accessible travel? That’s coming to you in the form of TravelAbility Summit, November 12-13 in San Francisco. Find out more.