HDFC Bank Launches IRA, the Interactive Humanoid

HDFC Bank Ltd., announced the launch of IRA, its interactive humanoid, at the Kamala Mills branch in Mumbai. IRA, which stands for Intelligent Robotic Assistant, will help branch staff in servicing customers. With this launch, HDFC Bank becomes the first bank in the country to introduce a humanoid for customer service.

Developed using Robotics and Artificial Intelligence technologies, IRA will be positioned near the Welcome Desk, where it will greet customers and guide them to the relevant counter in the branch such as Cash Deposit, Foreign Exchange, Loans, among others in the first phase.

Upon entering the Kamala Mills branch, IRA will greet the customer, before displaying a list of banking services he can avail at the branch. After the customer selects an option, IRA will offer to guide the customer to the respective counter, by displaying ‘Take Me There’ on the screen.

In the next phase, IRA’s capabilities will be enhanced further by introducing features such as Voice and Face recognition for customer identification, Voice-guided navigation, Balance enquiry, and Cheque deposit among others.

“We’re excited to announce the deployment of our first humanoid, IRA in the Kamala Mills branch. IRA is quite unique and will serve as a technology demonstrator in the field of artificial intelligence and robotics,” said Mr. Nitin Chugh, Country Head, Digital Banking, HDFC Bank at the launch event in Mumbai.

HDFC Bank has developed IRA in partnership with Asimov Robotics, a start-up based in Kochi.

About HDFC BANK

Promoted in 1995 by Housing Development Finance Corporation (HDFC), India’s leading housing finance company, HDFC Bank is one of India’s premier banks providing a wide range of financial products and services to its 37 million customers across hundreds of Indian cities using multiple distribution channels including a pan-India network of branches, ATMs, phone banking, net banking and mobile banking. Within a relatively short span of time, the bank has emerged as a leading player in retail banking, wholesale banking, and treasury operations, its three principal business segments.