httpvh://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TneFT2hMKSY
What better way to integrate robots into society than have them do some good deeds first? Assisting the elderly is certainly one of the more noble jobs they can be given, and that’s just what Robovie-II, the creation of the Advanced Telecommunications Research Institute International (ATR) has been programmed to do. For the next few months, through to March 2010, it will assist selected elderly customers at a supermarket in Kyoto, Japan. The robot will not only help them find and carry their products around, but in its amusing high-pitched voice, it will also recommend other choices based on the selection.
ATR sells a number of different robots which assist people in need in their homes, which can often be customized to an individual’s specific needs. ApriPoko, another one of their creations, can monitor a person’s health and assist them in making a shopping list by recommending food items that are best suited for their condition. The customer enters the list in his or her mobile phone, which is then sent to Robovie-II. The supermarket robot waits for the customers at the door, detects them with a sensor, and promptly comes up to greet them.
In terms of design, Robovie-II basically looks like a black box on wheels with two large eyes on top. No attempt has been made to make it more humanoid, which is good, because it allows customers to feel more comfortable around it. I believe most people, especially the elderly, would prefer a helper that doesn’t bear an uncanny semblance to a person.
The video below (in Japanese), shows that Robovie-II is actually quite the chattery little guy, even making jokes like: “Mandarins oranges are tasty, aren’t they? I want to eat one.” It probably will be a while until this line of robots is used in more supermarkets, but this is an interesting step forward.
