Little Robot On Red Carpet

A small robot becomes a big eye-catcher - Pepper's appearance at the Berlin Press Ball 2017 shows hands-on technology. Pepper, the glamorous robot of the ICS Group, was among the 1,600 guests invited to the press ball in Berlin.

Pepper recognizes faces using image recognition

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Oliver Moser, head of development for humanoid robotics at the ICS Group and foster father of Pepper, teaches his protégé something new every day. The little robot greeted press ball visitors with open arms on the red carpet and played the saxophone to music tracks. The guests were amazed that the robot could even call them by name when they greeted them personally. ICS software developers have enabled Pepper to identify the faces of prominent guests using image recognition. So the little robot managed to personally greet and address the guests.

Pepper is 1.2 m tall, 28 kg heavy, equipped with a 10-inch touchscreen and is already in use in many different areas worldwide. At events and trade fairs he is well received in the greeting, advice, but also for support and entertainment.

A robot for the smart home

Thanks to its integrated, Internet-enabled tablet, it can also advise customers well. Among other things, he can recognize languages, conduct dialogues, show websites and place orders on command. Pepper wants to be an attractive eye-catcher, serious consultant and expert in customer contact.

It can control and integrate online-capable devices via WLAN. In the smart home area, for example, he could carry out the action with the voice command "Pepper, please turn off the light in the living room". "Its possible uses are almost limitless and will continue to grow with the increasing networking and technologies of the Internet of Things," explains Hans-Jörg Tittlbach, CEO of ICS. In a clip that can currently be seen on YouTube, Pepper even drives Tesla.

A little helper to fall in love with

Pepper amazes people because he moves in a natural way and reacts to people, which triggers emotions. “Designed in the Japanese manga style, with big googly eyes that also flash brightly, plus a slightly childish voice, the awkward style - it all fits together perfectly and results in an almost irresistible attraction that won't let go,” Moser describes his Protege. "At the press ball in Berlin, the audience fell in love with this small, sweet and polite helper."

His appearance has already been well received on social media. The Facebook page of the German Prize for Political Caricature posted: "He is incredibly intelligent, charming and jaaaaa, incredibly cute!"

Anyone who wants to buy and use Pepper is professionally supported by the ICS Group. "We deliver Pepper with a German standard language package. In addition, Pepper can be controlled remotely using the app. In addition to the software, the buyer receives a three-year full-service package with an exchange service,”explains Moser. (kj)