A man who had a few drinks didn’t like the attitude of a clerk at the cell phone store—so he kicked another clerk in response, causing injuries. But this is not your usual story from the local TV news. In a “man bites dog” scenario, the injured “clerk” was actually a robot!
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The high-tech SoftBank cell phone provider in Japan decided to staff its stores with humanoid robots as clerks. It funded the development of robots that are so advanced that they detect human emotions, according to a story in the Japan Times. Softbank says it began using these robots as greeters in its cell phone sales and service stores.
The manufacturer of the robots, Aldebaran, says the robots are “social and able to converse, recognize and react to your emotions, move, and live autonomously.” The robots, which are only 4 feet high, are also described as “engaging and friendly.” The robots are able to communicate with humans through “the most intuitive interface: voice, touch, and emotions.”
Evidently, hearing the dispute with the human clerk, the robot clerk must have picked up on the man’s drunken demeanor. Since the robots can detect anger, the robot clerk may have determined an attack was coming. But the robot must not have been trained or programmed to duck or run, since the robot sustained some dents and a damaged internal computer system, says The Japan Times.
The 60-year-old customer was arrested after the incident; wonder what the charges were! And there is no word on the condition of the “injured” clerk.