A Robot Could Be Your Mall’s Next Customer Service Agent

trendz web winter spring budgee robotWhat are the chances of a shopper wanting to browse a mall in the company of a small remote-controlled robot? Actually, nobody really knows yet but that’s what 5 Elements Robotics is proposing. The New Jersey-based tech company’s dream customer service attendant is Budgee, a waist-high rolling robot that can move through a retail property at a walking pace and carry up to 50lbs of merchandise. CEO Wendy Roberts believes that it could revive the shopping center experience, especially for the elderly, parents with small children, the physically disabled, and other visitors for whom meandering through long halls while laden with parcels can quickly go from an enjoyable outing to a real chore.

5 Elements Robotics will officially launch Budgee this month and the company said that several malls were keen to test it on their own clientele, including one of the largest shopping centers in America and several properties in China. Available in nine countries to start, Budgee understands English, Mandarin Chinese, Danish, German, and Russian.

At a time when consumer lifestyles are increasingly digitized, Budgee’s fate will be in the hands of mall customers who will have to decide whether or not a robotic service agent fits their idea of an enriched shopping experience.

The Specs:

  • Weight: 20lbs
  • Speed: approx. 2.4 mph
  • Features: sonar and spatial sensors, customizable “follow distance”, eye color and recorded message, and rain resistant shell
  • Battery length: up to 10 hours on charge
  • App formats: iOS and Android
  • Cost: $1,400

May.
2015
Posted in Digital Marketing
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