Robot encourages visitors to the South

Curiosity Starts Here marketing campaign

A specially designed roving robot called TA-M has been exploring the Scottish Borders and Dumfries & Galloway as part of a mission to encourage more holidaymakers to visit the beautiful, but relatively unknown, South of Scotland.

The roving robot is spearheading a new Curiosity Starts Here marketing campaign launched by the South of Scotland Destination Alliance (SSDA) to showcase the attractions of the South of Scotland.

From visiting the beach at Coldingham Bay in Berwickshire to being fitted for some fetching knitwear at Johnston’s of Elgin in Hawick and visiting Bruce’s Stone at Loch Trool, TA-M (The South of Scotland Adventure-Module) has been roving around the South of Scotland seeking out interesting landmarks, locals and experiences.

Inspired by NASA’s robot geologists and their missions to Mars, TA-M has been created to uncover everything the region, which stretches across the foot of Scotland, has to offer.

Meet TA-M the robot

The Curiosity Starts Here campaign featuring TA-M will run across out-of-home adverts, radio slots and social media.

A launch video featuring TA-M has been created revealing landmarks and attractions, from vast, sandy beaches to stunning star-lit skies and distilleries and encounters with locals across the South of Scotland.

TA-M features robotic arms that can lift and grip objects, "expressive eyebrows", all-terrain wheels, dilating iris eyes with LED lights, 3D printed body parts and solar panels to recharge in the sun.