A Japanese company is offering the services of a receptionist with a difference. She/he/it is a robot. But not just any robot, Robot Dispatch's receptionist is a 20-inch tall Hello Kitty look-a-like.
According to Business 2.0 the Hello Kitty robot can recognise up to 10 faces, request the name of visitors on arrival and announce when a staff member is ready for their meeting. It can also tell jokes and hold a conversation based on 20,000 stored patterns.
US robotics experts are lukewarm about the idea. Robotics consultant Joanne Pransky says a Hello Kitty robot might work for companies in entertainment, high tech or childcare centres as a novelty.
Workplace trends forecaster Jennifer Schramm says people need other people not machines when they have a problem but suggests more sophisticated robots could eventually fulfil the role.
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