If you’re easily lost in large malls, you’ll soon have a robot friend helping you out. Advanced Telecommunications Research Institute (ATR) based in Osaka has demonstrated a humanoid robot that recognizes people who seem lost and helps them on the spot. His name is Robovie, and he seems 50% creepy and 50% cute. I would want him to help me if I were lost, but I would also be wondering how he plans to disembowel me and take over the world with his machine friends. His Stormtrooper colors don’t help put me at ease, either.

His helpfulness was recently put on display at the Universal Citiwalk in Osaka. In an earmarked area measuring 100 square meters the robot scanned every passerby’s face. He had the help of 16 cameras, 6 laser range finders and 9 RFID tag readers installed in and around the area that acted like eyes and ears. He proceeded to watching 20 people at a time, and read their actions to group them in 10 different categories like waiting, wandering, running, etc.

And so he recognized those that were lost. The robot then proceeded to ask the person if they were in fact lost. If people said yes, Robovie gave them directions. And if they were not lost, the robot dropped some names for publicity’s sake, recommending nearby shops. He was pretty successful.

I’m not sure I would want this little know it all approaching me if I was lost. I imagine it would go something like this. “Are you lost sir?”

“What a nice little robot. Why, yes I am lost.”

To which the quasi-cute robot would respond, “You are lost… You are now lost to your race, filthy human meat bag!” Then he’d whip out a robot saw from his chest and carve up my insides. He would carry me out, making it look like he was escorting a drunk. Then he’d dump my body in a service corridor. And that’s how the take over begins. Of course, that may just be me…

[Pink Tentacle] VIA [Geekologie]