Move over George Clooney ― Nestle has added a fleet of chirpy robots to sell its coffee machines in Japanese stores.
The Hollywood heartthrob, who is the global face of the Swiss giant’s Nespresso brand, has been joined by Pepper, a cheeky and chatty android, which its makers claim can answer customers’ questions, to promote its Nescafe marque.
“How do you enjoy coffee? No. 1: An eye-opener coffee; No. 2: A post-meal cup of coffee,” Pepper asked a TV personality at a promotion event Monday.
The 120-centimeter-tall robot has a human-like face perched on top of a white plastic body, with rollers and what looks like a tablet computer on its chest.
The gimmick will eventually see 1,000 stores across Japan with their own Pepper, which makers say can understand up to 80 percent of conversations.
The robots will “help us discover consumer needs through conversations between our customers and Pepper,” said a joint statement from Nestle and SoftBank. (AFP)
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