Humanoid robots a hit with Mizuho customers
(22 July 2015 – Japan) Mizuho Financial Group is finding its Pepper robot is on point with customers.
Mizuho has just introduced SoftBank Group Corp’s Pepper robot to its flagship branch in central Tokyo.
The 121 centimetre humanoid entertains customers with games and multimedia and provides basic information on products.
Mizuho plans to add its robot employee to five other Tokyo branches by the end of the year.
“Pepper will get people excited about going to the bank,” Tetsuhiko Saito, head of personal banking at Mizuho’s main lending unit, told reporters.
Mizuho follows larger peer Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group Inc., which in February unveiled NAO robots, also developed by a SoftBank unit, for use at its branches.
Robotics features in Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s plan to revive the economy and combat the nation’s aging and shrinking population.
Pepper went on sale to Japanese consumers on 20 June, and all 1000 units sold out within a minute.