Airports are a hub of activity with thousands of people streaming through busy gates each day. Communicating to these masses is a challenge. Airport staffs are shrinking and security inspectors compete with the sounds of other passengers, vendors and more. Picture the following:

While waiting at an airport security checkpoint, you are verbally instructed by a woman to “please power down all electronics for screening purposes.” You glance over and notice the woman’s name tag reads “AVA.” She stands in front of the long, crowded line guiding everyone to ensure a speedy, yet efficient pre-screening process. With a second glance you realize, she is not a real person at all, but an avatar…

Developed by Airus Media, AVA, also known as the Advanced Virtual Assistant, is a lifelike, virtual mannequin primarily used for communicating messages in high volume areas such as airports and other mass transit locations.

AVA combines a hidden projector with a specially designed screen that has been cut to look like a live presenter. As a result, a realistic virtual presenter captivates visitors by speaking and engaging as a live presenter would. AVA enhances customer service and welcome centers by answering basic and routine questions asked by arriving visitors. Employees and security personnel are able to focus on more important things while the AVA makes announcements.

Powered by a Casio Signature XJ-M250 projector, AVA is nearly maintenance-free. Arius Media chose Casio’s XJ-M250 projectors because they are LampFree, running on Casio’s laser and LED hybrid light source. This means lamps do not need to be replaced every few months, even for a 24/7 operations. With the light source having an estimated lifespan of 20,000 hours, AVA can run 24 hours a day, seven days a week, which is crucial in airports, for years.

“Airports are among the busiest places in the world, and AVA plays an extremely important role in helping them run as smoothly as possible by helping increase the efficiency of security checkpoint lines,” said Patrick Bienvenu, chief operations officer of Arius Media. “Using Casio’s Signature XJ-M250, AVA can run for long periods of time and eliminate the time and cost associated with lamp replacement, as well as dark periods during critical high volume periods throughout the day.”

Since AVA can be utilized for a number of applications outside of airports, Arius Media made sure almost every detail could be customizable. Customers can choose a male, female, cartoon or animal avatar, write the script and design the case structure to fit location needs. AVA can also be set with a motion sensor which will keep it in sleep mode until someone walks past.

Currently, five airports across the United States are equipped with AVA at security checkpoints and customer service areas: LaGuardia Airport and JFK Airport in New York, Newark Airport in New Jersey, Northwest Florida Regional Airport in Florida and Long Beach Airport in California. Installation for each AVA unit took approximately two hours, including set-up and calibration. Clients say that AVA is an incredible time-saver and a very efficient way to deliver a clear and consistent message.

Learn more about Casio LampFree projectors here and about AVA here.