Traditionally used in manufacturing, robots are now rapidly finding their way into customer service roles. Can small robots like Anki’s Cozmo & Vector be practically useful to a small business? The following looks at how these two small robots, in particular, can be used in a promotional capacity.
Small Bots for Small Biz Promotion
The interactive nature and charming appeal of small robots like Cozmo & Vector can be utilised to grab the attention of passers-by. Once an observer’s interest has been piqued the robot can then promote the products & services of your business to them.
Imagine a cute little robot in your storefront, or at your booth at a convention promoting your business to people walking by. They may then be encouraged to come in and interact with the robot, potentially transforming the passerby into a customer.
Speech & Facial Recognition
Cozmo/Vector can lock on to the faces of people nearby using facial recognition, making eye contact and speaking directly to that person. Vector can carry out a basic conversation with someone using his built-in microphones and speaker. While Cozmo doesn’t have microphones he can recognise facial expressions, so a frown can be interpreted as a negative response while a smile can be processed as a positive answer.
Display Screen
The faces of both robots are screens that can be used as a display. Once Cozmo/Vector has a person’s attention he can interact with them and display promotional material on his face along with a call to action, such as a phone number or email address. Existing advertising material can be repurposed to fit the smaller screens of Cozmo (128×64 pixels) and Vector (184×96 pixels).
Promotional Videos
Even when the small robots are not out on the job, photos & videos of an endearing little robot promoting your business can be created and posted on your social pages.
If you’re interested in learning more about the Cozmo & Vector robots follow @CodingCozmo on Twitter and subscribe to the Coding Cozmo YouTube channel.
