Nescafé has unveiled a new humanoid robot that will be used to help sell the company’s latest coffee machines.
The chatty robot, which debuted at a promotional event on Monday, is called Pepper and belongs to Nestle Japan Ltd as part of an innovative new sales technique for its Japanese stores. It has a smiling human face and an interactive tablet mounted on its chest.
Pepper’s creators claim that the bot can understand 80 percent of conversation. The robot, which is apparently capable of learning and expressing human emotions, has been programmed to help sell the products by providing information on the specifications of machines, as well as reciting quips and jokes with customers. Currently it is able to converse in Japanese only.
“By simply answering my questions, I can tell which coffee machine is perfect for you,” the 120cm tall Pepper stated with confidence at the event, held at Bic Camera’s Yurakucho store in Tokyo, the Japan Times reported.
Reports say that the Swiss company will be initially purchasing 20 of the robots, created by tech conglomerate Soft Bank, to help sell Nescafé’s Dolce Gusto and Barrista coffee machines, with the company predicting a further 1000 to be introduced by the end of next year.
SoftBank’s Vice President, Kenichi Yoshida said: “We are developing Pepper to offer him as a new family member, not just as a housekeeping or labour assisting robot,” adding, “We hope people expect a great deal from Pepper when he goes on sale next year.”
Pepper robots are set to go on general sale to the public in February 2015.
