Nestlé are to staff 1,000 of its Japanese Nespresso coffee stores with robots. Pepper the android was paraded at Nestlé’s promotional event on Monday.
Pepper is 120cm tall with a white plastic body and a tablet computer chestplate, and has already been deployed in 74 of Japan’s Softback stores, selling mobile phones.
Collecting customer opinions is one of Pepper’s key objectives. In a conversation with Japanese TV host Kyoko Uchida, Pepper asked, “How do you enjoy your coffee? Number one: An eye-opener coffee; Number two: A post-meal cup of coffee.” Pepper can understand 80% of conversations, according to its French creators, Aldebaran, and will “help us discover consumer needs through conversations between our customers and Pepper.”
Pepper will even be available for sale in February, costing 198,000 yen, plus monthly fees.
Source: The Guardian
