Meet Miroki, the fox-faced robot welcoming travelers at Lyon Airport 🤖🦊

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Lyon–Saint Exupéry Airport has become the first in the world to test Miroki, a social and interactive robot built to assist passengers.
Developed by French startup Enchanted Tools, this expressive, fox-inspired companion is designed to make travel smoother, more intuitive — and a little more fun.

A fox robot guiding travelers 🦊

With its stylized fox head straight out of a video game, Miroki roams the halls of Terminal 1. Positioned just before the security checkpoint, it helps travelers find their way to check-in counters, boarding gates, shops, and ground transportation.

The robot can speak both French and English, answering passengers’ questions out loud. Its goal isn’t to replace airport staff but to support them by handling simpler inquiries. When a request gets too complex, Miroki politely redirects travelers to a nearby help desk staffed by humans.

This initiative fits into VINCI Airports’ broader innovation strategy, which has been exploring robotics in airport environments for several years. Before Miroki, Lyon tested Stan, a valet parking robot, and Plato, a fleet of service robots — both of which were adopted after successful pilot runs.

A two-phase experiment 🧭

The pilot program is being rolled out in two stages. Since October 2025, Miroki has been stationed before security to guide passengers and reduce congestion. By December, it will move to the post-security commercial area to highlight the airport’s shops and services.

The experiment aims to measure several key indicators :

• Reduction in wayfinding errors
• Efficiency of robotic assistance
• Passenger satisfaction
• Public acceptance of robots in busy public spaces

For Enchanted Tools, this pilot marks a crucial step toward commercial deployment planned for 2026.

Redefining the human-machine relationship 🤝

According to Cédric Fechter, Chairman of the Executive Board at Aéroports de Lyon, the project reflects the group’s commitment to “testing cutting-edge technologies that enhance our passengers’ experience while supporting our teams.”

In practice, Miroki acts as a hybrid assistant — part mascot, part digital guide. The goal: to humanize technology in a setting often associated with stress and tight schedules. It’s a glimpse into the future of airports, where automation and empathy might finally coexist.

For VINCI Airports, this isn’t about showcasing cool tech for its own sake. The real challenge is understanding how robots and humans can share the same workspace — and how automation can improve service quality without losing the human touch.

Lyon as a testbed for smart travel 🛫

With Miroki, Lyon–Saint Exupéry Airport is cementing its position as an innovation hub within the VINCI Airports network. Following its earlier experiments with valet and service robots, the airport is now turning into a living lab for intelligent travel.

“As VINCI Airports’ Center of Excellence for Innovation, Aéroports de Lyon is proud to test cutting-edge technologies that transform the passenger experience and support our teams. This partnership with Enchanted Tools reflects our ongoing commitment to exploring new solutions for smoother, more enjoyable travel,” says Cédric Fechter, Chairman of Aéroports de Lyon.

If results are positive, this fox-faced guide could soon appear in other airports — or even train stations and shopping malls. Until then, Miroki keeps roaming Lyon’s terminals, making the airport experience a little friendlier, smoother, and more futuristic.

👉🏾 Would you feel comfortable being welcomed by a robot like Miroki on your next trip?