Robots
lending a helping hand certainly isn't a new spectacle, but a determined and forthright mechanical worker is about to hit cellphone stores in Japan (and probably send an actual human back to the job market in the process). While we've seen
less intelligent forms of robotic cellphone salesmanship,
Tmsuk's Ubiko bot is slated to "join the crew of temporary workers" that a Japanese job-referral company hopes will be used at "stores, events, and even weddings." Formerly known as the
RIDC-01, this newly-named 44-inch tall employee on wheels sports a "catlike face," internal DVD player, LCD display to show advertisements / presentations, built-in cameras and infrared sensors, and remote-controllable arms that hand out balloons and other niceties to potential customers. Ubiko can even
spark a conversation about how bad you'll need downloadable movie services on your next mobile, and reportedly boasts a "nasal electronic voice" that's sure to grate passerbyers' nerves. While the programmable (and always on call) employee can be snapped up for a hefty ¥30 million ($254,194) one time fee, it'll also be available to handle two-hour shifts for "only" ¥105,000 ($890).
[Via
Textually]
posted Nov 24th 2006 3:09PM
Ok now this is off topic but does anyone besides me think that engadget should make its links to other websites open in a new window or tab automaticly? cause im kinda tired of having to right click and open it up...
ohhhhhh btw:
I DONT WELCOME ARE SALESBOT OVERLORDS... i hate when people say that any one agree with that to?
Absolutely not. Sites that open links in separate windows are screwing with my browser. I, and only I, get to decide when I open a new window. Get used to middle-click.
I for one welcome our robot salesperson overlords. (Unlike Matt, who will inevitably be the first one up against the wall when the robot revolution comes.)
Damn skippy.
Beats the tattooed people Best Buy hires this time 'round
laptops have middle buttons? since when well im sure some do but mine doesnt..
At $450 an hour? I heard the cost of human labor was going up over there, but I had no idea it was high enough to make something like this cost-effective. Where do I sign up?
don't have a middle mouse button?
Try ctrl-click :)