Nestle 'hiring' 1,000 robots to sell espresso machines

Strange marketing angle. Most makers of processed food try to project an image of naturalness. This campaign seems to emphasize the fact that the instant coffee product is indeed synthetic or artificial.

This is getting sick.Those capsules have produced tons of trash and only after an outcry has Nestle actually started to think about reducing trash. They are making lots of profit from it, so I think that robot is just for show. And Jeff, they market it as cool and sofisticated, esp with high-priced specialities, no need to look natural.

Obviously these robots won't entirely replace humans, but it's getting closer. Should we be "entertained" by this trend that will put more people out of work? And who will pay the social cost of lost wages and the psychological cost of unemployment? Probably not the corporate giants, which put profits and technology before people.

1000 robots? hiring? Do they get a paycheck? Will it cause effect in human workers? I understand the importance of technology. I've always dreamt that one day the cars would fly, everything would be ecologic, robots etc... Now, I'm starting to ask already if we can control ourselves against machines' addiction. I meant, have you saw people in a public area with heads looking down at the mobile item? Will this contribute more to lose human sociality?

In japan though you know they'll never fully implement robots cos they always have a worker next to the robot and two more on standby.

Why not state that that robot has been designed by Aldebarran company. Has anyone read news about a car name without car maker being mentioned ???????????? AFP or person who wrote article does bot deserve to be journalist. Or did a jealous robot report for AFP to Japan Today ?

Awesomeness! I just love dealing with automated phone operators, self-check-out machines at supermarkets, and iPhone's siri! Now I can speak slowly and repeat myself over and over to a robotic salesman! How can this not go wrong?

And they better program them to say "irrashaimase" incessantly!

Will they pay Tax?

Probably need to hire an IT person in every branch to switch on, programme, maintain and update them...

Good luck with that

and then we wonder why the economy crashes...

Awesome news, people will need really need to start thinking about stepping up if they want to keep their low skill jobs, otherwise be completely displaced by robots.

He billed it as an “emotional” robot that understands “70 to 80% of spontaneous conversations”.

They better program it to understand "sod off".

An interesting experiment and could become common in the years ahead in a work force shortage scenario forecast by pandits!

Expect to see it with tie around its head, lying face down outside an izekaya around Bonenkai time...

simple.. Robots don't pay taxes,don't buy food, don't buy clothing, don't pay rents, don't need to commute, doesnt need to spend money on entertainment, no medication or health checks...we've just lost 1,000 consumers of these things and services above. imagine if all jobs are replaced by Robots wouldn't that be a sight? Wether we like it or not it's the small working class people doing these simple jobs (we give to robots) who keep the economy running.

Hmmm, will they have to join a union? It's pretty sad that, a thousand humans have been done out of a job by using robots.

Nestle, like many companies are replacing their human workforce with robotics as a way of getting the short term gain in super-profits. They see robots as better than human workers as they don't call in sick, and don't join unions, and are on call 24/7. These companies want to cattier to the needs of the more richer and more affluent of the upper class. Workers, like our earlier ancestors who worked in the beginning of the Industrial Age, were landless peasants who were displace off the land and drove to the urban areas into manufacturing and poverty. Now we are being displaced by robots and driven back into poverty in the Robotic Age.

The peasants are revolting I know. I can't stand them either. No. I said the peasants are in revolt..

In a land where so much manufacturing employs robot technology which is quite non-human in appearance, I would have thought that a robot that looks like a coffee machine would be more appropriate.

Or like a vending machine.

If I wanted to interact with someone or something "emotional" which understands 70-80% of my conversations, I would hardly go there and buy a coffee.

Even now, it is still just for the coffee, isn't it?

Not cool now, and certainly less cool next year when this brand of robot-hardware is superseded by ... by ... a Nexus 6.

+1 that this is not good for future employment and the trend has been bad for a while now.

@dcog9065 Of course the problem is people aren't trying hard enough for going off to die in a ditch.

this is not good for future employment and the trend has been bad for a while now.

The jury is out on whether or not technology is ultimately a job-killer. The Luddites were wrong about it during the Industrial Revolution. The current wave of automation might be different, it does seem to distort the distribution of wealth excessively. If it does too much we need to change the way wealth is distributed, but going around doing menial jobs that could be easily automated with our current technology, that can't be an option. We, as a species, just can't afford to be that stupid.

Adebaran, the French company making Pepper, must have really good sales people. Export robots TO Japan. WOW!

I dunno know. I get fed up with dealing with computerized telephone connections ... more often than not a frustrating experience with a robot on the other end. Now having to walk into a store and having to deal with yet another robo bozo, I think I'd prefer dealing with a human being who is trying hard to not only sell whatever it is being sold, but who is also trying to hang on to his/her job and source of income.

Perhaps the younger generation would prefer such things as Pepper, but not me in my, I guess you would say, old-fashioned generation.

Do not go to Nestle's for coffee. They will get the message. Well, maybe Pepper will.

Pepper: Why are there no customers I can serve?

Boss: Checking, checking. Does not compute. Circuits overloading. Danger, danger Will Robinson.

Good trend, I like robots, especially if they are charming like the French company Alde arran who could sale them...

I dont think Nestle really have their finger on the pulse of the Japanese market. I remember after the quake, when all the conbinis were stripped bare, the ONLY thing left on the shelves was matcha flavored KitKats. Take the hint, Nestle!

1000 jobs go to Robots. Sorry your human, we don't hire you.

Lowe's hardware in the US has also started using robots in some of their stores.

What will happen when people without college degrees cannot get a job? Rhetorical question. (not everyone can get a college degree. In fact, they are still the vast majority of people.)

Nestle - What a great way to tell the unemployed in Japan to go get stuffed. I will make sure to avoid purchasing any of your high sugar and unhealthy products.

Lonely old people will be monopolizing these bots, but at least it'll free up the cashiers the oldsters now slow down.