By Roland Piquepaille
A Japanese designer has developed a mannequin robot, Palette, which can adapt its movements to the shoppers passing in front of it, according to this article from Agence France-Presse (AFP), "Striking a robotic pose." Using motion-capture technology, Palette will be able to act as a supermodel. And with its specialized sensors and software, it also will be able to identify the sex and age of shoppers before transmitting them to store owners for marketing purposes. The price has not been set yet, but Palette should go on sale in 2005 in two versions: a body without legs to showcase clothings, and a torso model for jewelry. Read more...Here is a short description of Palette.
"Mannequins have been static but this will pose for the nearest person by sensing his or her position," robot designer Tatsuya Matsui told a news conference.
"It makes the product the mannequin wears look more attractive, increasing consumers' appetite to buy," said Matsui, who heads Flower Robotics Inc.
The female robot, code-named Palette, can draw inspiration from the world's most beautiful women, using motion-capture technology to replay the movements of supermodels.
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Here is a snapshot of Palette, the mannequin robot, in action (Credit: Masao Okamoto, for Flower Robotics Inc.). You'll find other pictures of robotic devices on the Flower Robotics Inc. website -- but be patient -- it can take a while. |
Palette will not only be a mannequin, it will be a spying marketing tool.
Palette will double up as an industrial spy, with the maker planning to program it to judge the age and sex of shoppers and even identify the bags they are carrying and pass along the information to stores for marketing purposes.
Matsui developed Palette with software company SGI Japan Ltd. and aim to start selling it this year for the fashion and service industries.
The price has not been set yet but SGI wants to make it "as close as possible to that of conventional mannequins," said Hiroshi Otsuka, who is in charge of new business promotion at SGI Japan.
[Disclaimer: I worked in the past for SGI, but right now, I don't have any ties with this company.]
From what you can see in the above image, Palette has no human face, but it's intentional.
"Consumer attention would be diverted to the face if there were one," said Matsui, the designer, noting he wanted customers to focus on the clothes or jewellery the mannequin wears.
And as noted above, Palette will initially come in two versions, but Matsui might introduce other models in the future, such as male or child versions.
Sources: Agence France-Presse, via Independent Online, South Africa, February 28, 2005; and various websites
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