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The robot was developed by Hiroshi Kobayashi of the Tokyo University of Science in 2004 and had up until recently been involved in a trial at a Tokyo primary school
By Hunter Skipworth~London Telegraph
Shopping in Tokyo can reach unparalleled levels of stupidity, with people often queuing for days to try to grab the first copy of a new video game or mobile phone. Newly-opened department stores in Japan are often swamped with crowds of middle-aged women desperate for the biggest discounts on the latest crockery and washing machines.
In an attempt to make it easier to deal with Tokyo’s masses of shoppers, department store Takashimaya decided to enroll the services of a speech-recognising robot for a week. Enter Saya, the latest frightening fembot to haunt Tokyo’s streets.
Saya was developed by Hiroshi Kobayashi of the Tokyo University of Science in 2004 and had up until recently been involved in a trial at a Tokyo primary school. The robot supply teacher was capable of catching students passing notes and copying homework as well as giving them a rather stern telling off. Saya then began “working” at Takashimaya in Ginza where she sits at the store’s information desk. For a week in October shoppers were treated to a very different kind of store assistant.
Saya is capable of responding to shoppers’ questions and complaints in more than 700 different ways, directing them to the relevant floors and making small talk in between.
It may just be my Japanese accent but Saya seemed rather confused by my simple questions, often directing me to the toilet regardless of where I had asked to go. Her facial movements also leave something to be desired; she is capable of looking either happy and really, really angry or sad and really, really angry.
The scary thing about Saya is her virtual past. Programmers have installed responses that allow her to tell passers by a little about her history. Saya can respond to questions about previous jobs and even where she was “created”. Perhaps even more bizarrely, the shop has decked her out in a Takashimaya uniform and put make-up on her face.
Despite the fact that Saya is clearly a robot, it doesn’t seem to have thrown the Japanese sense of politeness, with many shoppers bowing to the robotic aid after they were given direction
It’s a shame that Saya has now returned to her Tokyo university desk job. Her angry face would certainly silence any spoilt child demanding a better Christmas present.
