Article from 2021. Prices and offers are no longer valid.

Social (humanoid) robots, once only a luxury accessory for companies and events with big budgets, are increasingly becoming an integral part of various commercial, cultural, educational, and public interest processes. In 2019, a classic case study for the commercial use of social robots would be that of the Centro Colombo in Lisbon. There, a Pepper bot stood out for its interactions with visitors, over 20,000 in just 10 days, 94% of which were through verbal communication. The most requested features: entertainment (dances, jokes, songs, games, selfies, interactive quizzes, etc.) and then answers to frequently asked questions (eg: information about available stores). Also, also thanks to the entertainment functions, social robots can offer a strong differentiating factor in the context of "Expo" type events where, regardless of the position of the stand, they can attract a significant number of visitors, many of whom would come specifically to see and interact with the robot. The arrival of the pandemic, however, together with the mass closure of shopping malls and the cancellation of most social events, no longer gave social robots the opportunity to be "at the center of attention" in a sea of curious people, as the organizations they belong to would have originally intended. And thus, we can say that organizations were "forced" to capitalize on the other, less known and used functions of social robots. Some recent examples are:

1. Public and Health Sector

Where social bots make their presence felt in places like: Hořovice Hospital in the Czech Republic, in the fight against the Covid-19 virus Where a Pepper robot, originally assigned to the children's ward before the pandemic, was reconfigured for a role in the hospital reception, due to the acute shortage of medical staff. At the front desk, Pepper greets visitors, checks their temperature with a thermometer attachment, and provides instructions as needed. And so it takes over some of the repetitive tasks that would normally fall to the already overworked and high-stress medical staff. Other advantages are that it can work 12 hours continuously, day after day, without getting tired or sick, and it is easy to disinfect. Petra Horáková, a spokeswoman for the hospital, said: "Dr Pepper - also known as Pete - has become a huge favorite with both staff and patients." While Natalie Kíle, head of the reception area says: "Dr. Pepper has proven to be very helpful - people not only listen to him, but also fidget less when they have to wait or follow instructions." Over time, Pepper has been used in similar contexts in organizations such as the City Hall of the 15th District in Paris, or the offices of the Water, Electricity, and Public Transport authorities in Dubai. And in each of these contexts, the results seem to be unanimous: The interlocutors are more receptive to the instructions provided by the robots, more patient and generally more satisfied with the services received from the institutions. Also, officials say they can work much more efficiently, and in less stressful conditions, when they no longer have the responsibility of repetitively communicating general information.

2. Retail Sector

Where a very interesting exploitation example is of Eobuwie.pl - a Polish online shoe store, which recently started to open physical stores as well, but without any kind of "on-the-shelf" merchandise. Customers can browse a digital catalog and the products are brought directly from the warehouse to them in less than 3 minutes to try on. Pepper's role is to approach potential customers and present them with the product catalog, along with personalized recommendations, through the interactive tablet it is equipped with. Watch the video on YouTube

3. Cultural Sector

More specifically, in museums such as:

Smithsonian National Museum of African Art in Washington
Museum of Sciences and Industries of Paris
Municipal Library of Hanover, Germany.
The European Museum of Modern Art in Barcelona

Where robots like Pepper don't just have "information" or "reception" roles, but have become true guides, presenting exhibits and their stories, even in multiple languages (for international tourist groups), recommending museum products and services, and collecting data to improve services and visitor experience. Watch the video on YouTube

4. Private Medicine Sector (Unident Romania)

In partnership with the dental network Unident Romania, IRIS Robotics implemented no less than 4 social robots "Pepper" in the 4 Unident clinics in the country. In an interview with Petronela and Nicolae Luca, General Manager and Executive Manager respectively at Unident Romania, they revealed to us what led them to invest in social robots, how they integrated them into the day-to-day activity of clinics, as well as the effect that robots have on patients, especially children. "We set out from the beginning to practice the dental medicine of the future for the whole family, using the most innovative techniques and equipment. This is our goal, and Innovation is one of the main values of the Unident Company." Thus, Pepper's presence in clinics complements very well this profile of dental medicine of the future […]. We purchased one Pepper robot for each clinic because we want to offer the same unique experience to all our patients. As for their integration into the day-to-day activity...it was very easy [...]. Pepper is designed to convey emotions, surprises people with his answers about oral health, even tells jokes or dances. The behavior of these robots is novel for both patients and staff... it provides a good mood in clinics and eliminates the fear of the dentist. In addition to the fact that Pepper complements the concept of innovation that is the basis of our clinics, it is intended to dispel the fear of the dentist and implicitly to prevent the complications of dental conditions, which most often appear because they are not treated in time... In terms of technical integration, the people at IRIS Robotics are very responsive to our requests and help us improve the human interaction experience with these robots every day. Pepper is never tired, sad... he will always give information casually, exactly when it is requested and with the same enthusiasm... He explains to patients in their own way how certain treatments are carried out, so that they are not afraid." You can read more about the integration of social humanoid robots in Unident Romania clinics here.

Social robots after the pandemic

So, since the pandemic, we've seen a clear shift in the needs and wants of various organizations regarding the purpose of social bots. The focus this time being less on entertainment and more on utility, education, and mediation of human interactions. Among the most requested features are: Reception Member - where the bot answers frequently asked questions and takes over repetitive tasks such as completing questionnaires or sorting and directing visitors to the services they need, freeing up valuable time for other team members. Personalized advice and presentation among customers, depending on the service categories of interest to them. Interactive educational games for children but also for adults, which allow the presentation of the services offered through a memorable and convincing experience. Guide and presentation, through which the interlocutors are physically led by the robot to the desired destination, in the store, showroom, clinic, etc. Onboarding assistant. Where social bots can partially take over the role of educator for new employees, presenting the values and most important practices in the company in a memorable way. IRIS Robotics develops the software applications needed to operate humanoid robots in various situations, including the functions described above. That's why we are happy to see more and more diverse needs from our customers, and to take on the challenge of turning them into reality. If you want to implement a social bot in your organization, or are wondering what the possibilities would be, we invite you to write to us using the contact form below to set up an initial discussion. FREE CONSULTATION.