Imagine going to the mall on a Saturday afternoon. Stepping to your favorite department store, you’re welcomed by way of a sales clerk you don’t recognize. She doesn’t look comfortable, and upon closer inspection, she doesn’t look entirely individual. Whether this scenario appears to be too out of the world, think again. Robotic customer service attendants aren’t a slice of science fiction anymore.
Meet Aiko Chihira
Aiko Chihira is actually a 32-year-old brunette and stands about 5’5″. Chihira’s work history is dotted with customer service experience; she had been a greeter at the Mitsukoshi department store also is fluent in the Western and Western sign language. She is a small soft-spoken and , oh yeah… Aiko Chihira is actually a robot!
While she isn’t perfectly individual, she gets pretty darn close. Chihira can’t carry a profound dialog, nor can she answer specific questions, but she does come preprogrammed with bits of dialog delivered through moving lips. Her fine motions are almost life-like; while Chihira was on display at Mitsukoshi, people flocked to the shop merely to marvel at the pretty android. She blinked she moans, and she knew a bit about the departmentstore to offer information regarding events. Chihira’s very popular, Toshiba is considering expanding her loved.
Are Androids the Future of Customer Support?
Toshiba’s ultimate goal is always to create a truly humanlike robot that is capable of such a thing that a person can perform. Maybe Chihira becomes more tri-lingual, learns Chinese, and is able to offer fleshed out replies to clients. Finally, she might possibly be able to discuss anything in store promotions to directions to the rest room.
What does this mean to the future of retail? The widespread availability of android sales walkers is not on the immediate horizon, but there are other robots like Aiko Chihira. Yangyang was created by Shanghai Shenqing Industry and Osaka University with the intention of teaching people. Surprisingly, she is ready to do more than Chihira. Besides speaking, blinking, and grinning, Yangyang can give you a handshake and a kiss.
These humanoid robots can definitely cost a pretty penny. Nevertheless, the long-term savings could outweigh the original investment. Afterall, you don’t have to pay that a salary to a robot. Besides this costs of maintenance and upgrades, a robotic sales associate doesn’t need healthcare or benefits. At this time, robots like Aiko and Yangyang make good greeters, however these specialized positions are just out of reach. None the less, you can’t doubt it. The uber-advanced future is coming faster than we could have imagined.
