A Robot Shopper

(NEW YORK) Welcome to the future of shopping. Uniqlo is introducing wakamaru, the first robot ever to be featured in a retail store environment, during the second week of September in their SoHo store. The robot, designed by Toshiyuki Kita and developed by Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd. gets its name from a famous 12th century warrior. Wakamaru will greet guests, make eye contact, recognize people, have arm movements, lead staff in motivational morning exercises and communicate promotions to customers. "We are very honored that UNIQLO USA and the people of New York City have welcomed wakamaru " said Ryota Hiura, manager of the wakamaru technical team. "Wakamaru, the crown of our efforts and leading technologies, now needs experience in the real world, which UNIQLO USA will provide. We hope that wakamaru will make many new friends during his stay in New York."