Article

Robot and kiosk union 'a match made in heaven'

How kiosks are leveraging the robot to boost customer service and revenue.

October 29, 2014 by Nicole Troxell — Associate Editor, Networld Media Group

When the band Styx released their song "Mr. Roboto" in 1982, they were riding a wave of cultural fascination with robotic possibilities that's been around ever since writer Karel Capek first coined the term "robot" in the 1920s.

From "The Day the Earth Stood Still" and "The Jetsons" to "Star Wars," "Short Circuit" and "batteries not included," robots have continued to make their impression on us in TV, film, and popular music.  

But beyond R2D2 and Johnny 5, robots have entered the real world as well: Sony's AIBO robotic dog, the Honda ASIMO and the iRobot Roomba are just three examples of robotic innovations that have come our way in recent years.

Now, kiosks are utilizing robot technology in a marriage of the automated and robotic that has produced a hybrid offspring of mobile kiosks. These robot kiosks can speak to customers, express human-like emotions and provide interesting multifunctional customer service. Robots enable kiosks to travel with opportunities for ad revenue, customer loyalty and upselling. It's starting to look like the future for robot technology is now.

What follows are four examples of how kiosks are leveraging the robot to boost customer service and revenue.

The server

Korea-based firm Future Robot fashioned a stationary kiosk into a mobile robot with human features to build Furo-K, a server robot.

Featuring a cartoon face inside a monitor "head" that sits atop a robot neck and shoulders, Furo-K functions as a mobile billboard, displaying menus, ads and information on its 22-inch touchscreen while traveling around a room to greet customers. Furo-K can explain features in a synthetic voice and its head contains a camera and microphone. Furo-K's body includes an RFID reader, card reader, laser receipt printer, ultrasonic sensor and a bumper sensor. An interactive touchscreen allows customers to place orders, businesses to provide promotional content such as videos and print coupons, tickets, and receipts.

A key feature of the robot is that it can detect movement. When Furo-K senses customers nearby, it will approach them and attempt to provide service. It can interpret and respond to questions with appropriate emotions and facial expressions in as many as 30 different languages.

On the renewed interest in robots, Future Robot CEO Se-kyong Song said in a Gizmag article: "The key strength of Future Robot, in my opinion, is its HRI [human-robot interaction] technology, which is compatible with all other robots. As Steve Jobs ushered in a new smart society with the convergence of art and technology, I hope the Future Robot will pioneer the new robot age with the convergence of robots and technology."

The butler
You're on a business trip and you realize you've forgotten to pack your toothbrush or shampoo. So you call down to the hotel's front desk to ask for what you need.

If you're staying at the Aloft hotel in Cupertino, California, however, your toothbrush or shampoo is likely to be delivered by Botlr, the butler of robots.

Botlr was made by Sunnyvale, California-based Savioke and designed to deliver better customer service in the hotel and hospitality sector.

After a guest orders items like toothbrushes, shampoo, towels, and soap, the front-desk staff will place items in the top compartment. Botlr then maps its way to your door, traveling independently via elevator at a human walking pace. Once it arrives, it will unlock and open its lid and provide onscreen instructions for guests to remove items.

Botlr is approximately three feet tall. Weighing less than 100 pounds, it has a carrying capacity of two cubic feet. Its sensors allow scanning from 40 feet away and provide the ability to move around external objects in its path. It can detect unexpected obstacles from six feet away.

And if you're happy with its service, Botlr will perform a simple robot song and dance for you.

Watch this video to see Botlr in action:

The cook

"Think Redbox of frozen yogurt," says Robofusion CEO Allan Jones, referring to the company's robot-inspired yogurt-dispensing kiosks.

The Charleston, South Carolina-based company jumped on the frozen-yogurt bandwagon during a surge of "froyo" popularity from 2011 to 2013, when, according to Jones, sales jumped 74 percent in "today's increasingly health-conscious society." With growing demand for frozen yogurt and the company's micro-store experience, "the kiosk idea was a match made in heaven." 

"Kiosks cut costs exponentially compared to traditional brick-and-mortar stores, using about three percent of the footprint and seven percent of the energy of an average frozen-yogurt store," Jones said.

So the company micro-sized its concept and added robot technology – all designed to deliver a fun and engaging experience for customers. 

"The kiosks are powered by a very sophisticated robot, a ton of programming, graphical user interface and the kiosk controller. The kiosks are “smart” -- utilizing a bevy of sensors and automation to make them come alive in a fun and efficient way," Jones said.

The marketing demographic for Robofusion robot kiosks varies widely. Technological innovations and a renewed interest in robots may make this the right time for the company. Robofusion has been able to expand beyond its entertainment and science-center origins within the last couple of years to include grocery stores, schools, corporate offices, trampoline parks and more. The company will soon establish roots in 12 countries, said Jones.

Robofusion has three versions of kiosks, each with its own level of service and features:

The CUBE is 12 square feet and about the size of a vending machine, making it Robofusion's smallest product. The robot will be available commercially by January 1, 2015.
The KIOSK is considered Robofusion's "workhorse," with a footprint of 24 square feet and a six-axis robot designed to provide fast service.
The FACTORY is the company's largest product at 48 square feet and features a two-armed robot.

To use the machines, customers simply walk up to the kiosk, use the interactive touchscreen to place their order, and watch the robot make individualized selections right in front of them. Orders are created in less than a minute, Jones said.

Watch the video to see it in action:

The concierge

ED Corporation's Aro Concierge Robot is multifunctional "intelligent" product with arms made to emulate human movement. Users interacting with Aro have the option to take quizzes for educational or training purposes and they can ask Aro for menu recommendations. Its touchscreen "body" allows users to take photos and play games while waiting for a movie or appointment. It can work in conjunction with digital signage to provide content. Perhaps most interesting is Aro's fortune-teller function, which is designed to predict the chances of matrimonial harmony.

Aro's facial gestures can mimic human expressions of joy and sadness. Its eyes are cartoon-like, similar to eyes commonly seen in Japanimation; its mouth and cheeks are even designed to give off a warm glow, the company reports. Like Furo-K, Aro contains user-recognition sensors mounted on the front right side that can sense movement and stop when external elements (people, objects) get too close. Safety features also dictate that Aro suspend movement when customers, for example, touch its arm. In this case, Aro's face expresses sadness as it says, "Please stop hurting my arm." Its low center of gravity is designed to prevent tipping.

See what Aro can do in the video below:

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