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Wakamaru robot to help / freak out UNIQLO SoHo shoppers

<p>Filed under: <a href="http://www.engadget.com/category/robots/" rel="tag">Robots</a></p><div align="center"><a href="http://www.joshspear.com/item/uniqlos-wakamaru/"><img vspace="4" hspace="4" border="1" src="http://www.blogsmithmedia.com/www.engadget.com/media/2008/09/9-5-08-_wakamaru_shaking_hands.jpg" alt="" /></a><br /></div> Shopping robots aren't <a href="http://www.engadget.com/2005/10/10/tmsuks-service-robot-carries-your-bags-while-you-shop/">totally unheard of</a> from a global <a href="http://www.engadget.com/2008/07/11/tmsuk-demonstrates-remotely-controlled-shopping-robot/">perspective</a>, but we certainly haven't seen too many out and about in NY boutiques. Reportedly, that's about to change -- UNIQLO SoHo will soon be home to Mitsubishi's <a href="http://www.engadget.com/2007/07/29/mitsubishis-wakamaru-bot-isnt-ready-to-integrate-into-society/">Wakamaru</a>, a humanoid that can look you in the eye, communicate on a very basic level and somehow help you decide between this dress or that other one over there. Word on the street has it arriving sometime next week, so if any of you regulars happen to see it, let us know just how convincing it is / isn't.<br /><br />[Via <a href="http://www.tokyomango.com/tokyo_mango/2008/09/uniqlo-ny-will.html">TokyoMango</a>]<h6 style="clear: both; padding: 8px 0 0 0; height: 2px; font-size: 1px; border: 0; margin: 0; padding: 0;"></h6><a href=http://www.joshspear.com/item/uniqlos-wakamaru/>Read</a> | <a href="http://www.engadget.com/2008/09/06/wakamaru-robot-to-help-freak-out-uniqlo-soho-shoppers/" rel="bookmark" title="Permanent link to this entry">Permalink</a> | <a href="http://www.engadget.com/forward/1306135/" title="Send this entry to a friend via email">Email this</a> | <a href="http://www.engadget.com/2008/09/06/wakamaru-robot-to-help-freak-out-uniqlo-soho-shoppers/#comments" title="View reader comments on this entry">Comments</a> <p><a href="http://feeds.engadget.com/~a/weblogsinc/engadget?a=Z4and5"><img src="http://feeds.engadget.com/~a/weblogsinc/engadget?i=Z4and5" border="0"></img></a></p><div class="feedflare"> <a href="http://feeds.engadget.com/~f/weblogsinc/engadget?a=0m4Fl"><img src="http://feeds.engadget.com/~f/weblogsinc/engadget?i=0m4Fl" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.engadget.com/~f/weblogsinc/engadget?a=ZXKJl"><img src="http://feeds.engadget.com/~f/weblogsinc/engadget?i=ZXKJl" border="0"></img></a> </div><img src="http://feeds.engadget.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~4/384852533" height="1" width="1"/>

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