Five Pepper robots can answer questions, read human emotion and proactively interact with guests
By
Rebecca Gibson |
Pepper, the world’s first humanoid robot capable of reading and reacting to human emotions, has debuted onboard Costa Cruises flagship Costa Diadema.
First launched in June 2014 in Japan by SoftBank Robotics (formerly Aldebaran), Pepper is 120cm tall and weighs 28kg. The robot is equipped with a 3D camera to detect and interact with people, as well as voice and emotion recognition technology to enable it to analyse their expressions, voice and tone. It also has a ten-inch touch screen, while 17 joints and three omni-directional wheels enable it to move fluidly.
Five Pepper robots are now available onboard Costa Diadema and are able to speak English, French and Italian to cater for the international clientele on the ship’s seven-day Western Mediterranean voyages.
“We are pleased that Costa Group was the first to welcome Pepper onboard to offer a unique and fun experience,” said Fumihide Tomizawa, president of SoftBank Robotics. “We hope that Costa’s travellers will enjoy their journey even more and that Pepper will successfully accomplish his mission to entertain them.”
Pepper can answer direct questions about the ship’s onboard services, restaurants and bars, excursions, activities programme, spa and shops, or destinations included on the itinerary. In addition, the robot can proactively interact with nearby passengers by dancing with them, involving them in a game, proposing they take souvenir selfies or asking them about their cruise experience.
“Thanks to the introduction of these robots onboard Costa Diadema, Costa Cruises confirms once again its great spirit of innovation,” said Neil Palomba, president of Costa Cruises. “Our goal is to amaze people that choose to spend their holidays with us and to go beyond their expectations offering something unforgettable. I am convinced that being able to interact with Pepper will be an incredible experience for all our guests.”