peppertherobot
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The robot revolution starts with data entry and small talk
Pepper the home robot is looking for work. According to SoftBank, the Japanese company behind the humanoid bot that looks like a friendlier version of an anime villain, this is the year that robots start working for us. That said, businesses are keeping tasks simple. Easy, uncomplicated, dull, simple. So far Pepper has made its way into 500 companies. This week I toured Pepper's early career options.
Pepper the robot is going to staff an entire phone store
Kicking off an event that showcases Softbank's Pepper robot working in a business environment, the Japanese phone carrier says it's going to test it out for itself, announcing a Pepper phone shop staffed entirely by its robots. According to the company, you'll be able to sign up to a phone contract with the robot. (In fact, that's apparently the robot on the left's role; in the middle is the store manager and on the right is "time killer" Pepper.) That sounds both incredible and hugely suspicious, but I'll have to wait until the end of March to check it out for myself.
Pepper, the humanoid robot, wants to sell you a Nescafe coffee machine
Softbank's Pepper, the robot with a line in cheesy jokes, hand gestures and oddly expressive poses is branching out from offering awkward banter to smartphone shoppers . Now, ahead of going on sale early next year for roughly $2,000, it's looking to help sell coffee machines in department stores like Bic Camera across Japan. A Nescafe spokesperson told CNET Japan that the robot will be able to bore you reel off the special qualities of Nescafe's capsule machines, as well as offer up quizzes and games -- presumably to distract younger, less caffeine-focused shoppers. It's just a shame it's not hooking up with a Poursteady just yet.
