Retailers Ready for Robots

Ann-Marie Vazzano

Human-shaped robots that can interpret shoppers’ facial expressions and answer their questions by gathering information from the cloud could eventually make their way into American stores, the Washington Post reports. When the shopper smiles, the robot, called Pepper, assumes all is well, but a puzzled look might make it ask whether it’s grasping the customer’s questions. According to Softbank Robotics, who makes Pepper, it adapts its behavior based on the feedback it gets. Using software, Pepper can also be personalized to speak multiple languages. GP