Crowd-monitoring humanoid helps lost mall patrons, likely freaks them out

We've witnessed our fair share of Robovies, and let's just say we've a healthy fear of 'em. That being said, we're fairly certain we'd come darn close to fainting or reacting violently should the creature pictured above approach us while shopping ever. Nevertheless, this humanoid is apparently allowed to run amok at Universal Citywalk Osaka as the Advanced Telecommunications Research Institute tests out its ability to interpret signals from cameras, sensors and RFID readers and determine which patrons are thoroughly lost. When it recognizes a stumped individual, it wheels over, confirms their state of confusion and politely offers directions to their destination of choice. Still, tell us you could seriously look down at those eyes and not completely forget where you were trying to go -- we triple-dog dare you.

[Via Tech Digest]

[Superprime @ Jan 26th 2008 1:15PM]

It's gazing into my soul

*whimper*

[StreetStealth @ Jan 27th 2008 6:09PM]

You know what, you guys... I think the final version of that bot's actually supposed to have hemispherical dark plastic lenses over the cameras (it looks like that's what the orb-shaped camera housings are built for).

So then he's got big, mildly unnerving puppy-dog eyes instead of extremely unnerving terminator eyes.

[Taylor @ Jan 26th 2008 1:20PM]

See, I'm just not sure how that would really "help" anybody. If you're lost, you are going to be on edge. The last think you need is a scary ass robot trying to help you out.

Taylor
http://taylorwilsdon.com

[monkfishbandana @ Jan 26th 2008 2:52PM]

See, now I really wanted to vote you up. But you had to go and do it, didn't you.

Funny comment = +1
Advertising =-2

Funny comment + advertising = -1 = low rank.

[Tamer Brad @ Jan 26th 2008 3:48PM]

I bet the Japanese find robots and being lost in large areas incredibly nerve-wracking.

[zfurie @ Jan 27th 2008 1:04AM]

Now who would help lost robots then?

[paul @ Jan 26th 2008 1:30PM]

holy crap.....i would freak out and run out of the mall if i saw that thing coming towards me

[James @ Jan 26th 2008 1:33PM]

"AHHH! wtf are you?!"
"Hello lost patron, how may I help you?"
"Wha? Ohh Well Um... CAn you tell me where the bathroom is? I need to go BADLY!"
"I'm sorry, please repeat your destination."
"BATHROOM PLEASE!"
"I'm sorry, please repeat your destination."
"TELL ME WHERE THE BATHROOM IS! I GOTTA GO!"
"I'm sorry, please repeat your destination."
"Fucking piece of junk"
"I'm sorry, please repeat your destination."
*kicks it on the ground and leaves*

[kojo87 @ Jan 26th 2008 1:34PM]

if its head isnt always on a tilt like that it might not be as creepy but the lack of mouth or sense of emotion sure doesn't help.

[David @ Jan 26th 2008 1:40PM]

I for one welcome our mall monitoring robot friend to........wait maybe not! ^_^

[Bloobie @ Jan 26th 2008 3:13PM]

Though that one up all by yourself, eh?

[David @ Jan 26th 2008 3:41PM]

Um........No

[Michael LaFramboise @ Jan 26th 2008 1:48PM]

Big-ass eyes - Check

Now just add some fur, ears and a tail and its all gonna be just jolly.

[Robert Murch @ Jan 26th 2008 4:42PM]

Looks like Quagmire.... Gigidy

[Bob @ Jan 28th 2008 3:56PM]

Yeah. Imagine the little creep turning up in the lady's room...

"May I assist you?... ;-)... gigiddy... "


Or popping its creepy little head under the toilet's door...

[Ellianth @ Jan 26th 2008 2:02PM]

Why do I expect this robot to threaten to clamp me? He really reminds me of clamps from futurama.

[aboriginal @ Jan 26th 2008 2:02PM]

The mall therapist is ready to see Timmy now.

[Stasguy @ Jan 26th 2008 2:02PM]

WARNING: Keep mirror away from robot.

[John from Buffalo @ Jan 26th 2008 2:03PM]

Holy crap that's creepy.

[Wonderkid @ Jan 26th 2008 2:10PM]

Why not simply have an Information desk where people can voluntarily go, rather than continue this obsession with surveilance and loss of privacy and choice?

[patrick @ Jan 26th 2008 5:11PM]

what if they can't find the information desk

[Josh L @ Jan 26th 2008 2:34PM]

I'm sure there are info desks, too.

Also, you don't have any right to privacy in a public place. Don't go out if you don't want to be seen. And go someplace else with your alarmist rhetoric, please.

[Temmink @ Jan 26th 2008 9:43PM]

I don't think the actual desired outcome of this is to help lost people, I think it is quite clearly an exercise in testing their sensor array and collecting and collating data to perfect it. The helpful mall bot is a means to an end so maybe people should start looking at it like that. Frankly the research is kinda cool, a little scary but mostly cool.

[snchpnz @ Jan 26th 2008 2:10PM]

He's not scary he looks sad. :(

[weRhere @ Jan 31st 2008 12:29PM]

I think it's adorable... I don't understand why everyone is freaked out by it. It looks like it's got big soulful eyes and would be incredibly helpful to lost and confused shoppers. I would rather have a robot like that approach me than one that looks more like a human. Feel free to place it in any of the malls I walk into. Adorable! Not scary, perverted, or any thing negative. It would be a great help to tourists or people who don't normally go to malls.
LOVE it!

[Tim @ Jan 26th 2008 2:11PM]

As if people in the malls weren't already being hearded like sheep...

[Bao @ Jan 26th 2008 2:14PM]

The most likely extremely large price tag would definitely be worth it just to see people's reactions.

[Garst @ Jan 26th 2008 2:33PM]

I wonder how many people are lost because they ran willy-nilly to get away from that thing.

Can I help you find your destination?

Anywhere to get away from you!

I'm sorry Dave, but I'm everywhere.

My name isn't Dave!

I'm sorry Dave, I must eliminate you now so no one ever finds out that I was ever wrong.

*Ulta-sonic shriek*

*Silence*

[applefreak @ Jan 26th 2008 2:34PM]

as long as the apple store by me wont have one of these things, I will be fine going to the mall, but will scream if i see this thing just rolling around

[Garst @ Jan 26th 2008 2:35PM]

I wonder how many people are lost because they ran willy-nilly to get away from that thing.

Can I help you find your destination?

Anywhere to get away from you!

I'm sorry Dave, but I'm everywhere.

My name isn't Dave!

I'm sorry Dave, I must eliminate you now so no one ever finds out that I was ever wrong.

*Ulta-sonic shriek*

*Silence*

[BigD145 @ Jan 26th 2008 2:37PM]

Please please please hire a living person to do this. There are unemployed, undernourished, homeless folk that could do this job better.

[dramamoose @ Jan 26th 2008 3:22PM]

Yeah, 'cause THAT wouldn't be scarier than a robot.

[Ed @ Jan 26th 2008 10:05PM]

Homeless people can be scary. Very Scary. At least a robot has the 3 laws built in (I hope). A homeless person has a good chance of being insane too. Not everybody that is homeless became that way due to financial troubles.

I was about 13 years old walking to school and there was an underpass underneath the freeway. The middle of it almost gets pitch black in the morning and all you can see is the end of the tunnel about 50 feet away. I had a bag of microwave popcorn for breakfast with me and I as attacked by a homeless woman. Just came out of nowhere from the sides layered with a couple dozen sweatshirts and really long scraggly hair. She looked like that insane muppet from Dark Crystal. She took the bag of popcorn from me and started eating it.

She was polite though, she said thank you before she disappeared into the darkness.

[Palmtree3000 @ Jan 27th 2008 6:44PM]

Has it occured to you that if she was on the street she was probably poor. And if she was poor she might not be able to afford food. And therefore was starving. If I was starving I would steal your food too.

[Joe @ Jan 26th 2008 2:39PM]

I always have a lost and confused expression on my face. Does that mean this robot will follow me around 24/7?

[kyle allen @ Jan 26th 2008 2:40PM]

it looks like some kind of creepy 3rd party mac thing

[eric @ Jan 26th 2008 2:49PM]

I would smite it with my plasma cannon should it chance an encounter. cheerio

[Blah @ Jan 26th 2008 2:57PM]

They need to give up on making humanoid robots for a while. It just looks wrong. I think I speak for a lot of people when I say that I'd rather interact with something that looks like Wall-E or R2-D2 than this monstrosity.

[Sam Winter @ Jan 26th 2008 8:19PM]

It's the 'uncanny valley' they need to get over...

[Backlin @ Jan 26th 2008 3:02PM]

Robot: Excuse me, can I help you?
Me: *WHILE TURNING AROUND* Yeah, I need to know...WHAT THE HELL???!!!

[Josef @ Jan 26th 2008 3:05PM]

All that effort and they couldn't make the lenses glow red? I mean, if you're going to freak out mall-walkers, you should go all-out.

Such a wasted opportunity...

[martin @ Jan 26th 2008 3:06PM]

DELETE, DELETE, DELETE!

[Miles Ross @ Jan 26th 2008 3:42PM]

Don't you mean Ctrl+Alt+Delete

[Sauerkraut @ Jan 26th 2008 3:44PM]

Has a nice nose.

[Reader @ Jan 26th 2008 4:02PM]

Not one D-Day reference in the comments??? What's the world coming to...

[WarMouse @ Jan 26th 2008 4:23PM]

SECOND REQUEST: PRESENT HALL PASS

[Twitchy @ Jan 27th 2008 3:14AM]

*In the voice of ED-209*
"....you have ten seconds to comply..."

[CanCar @ Jan 26th 2008 4:33PM]

Will be able this robot to also prepare the supper, please?

[rav97 @ Jan 26th 2008 4:38PM]

Can't sleep, mall robots will eat me

[anonymous @ Jan 27th 2008 8:00AM]

They have no mou... forget it.