By NAOYUKI MORI/ Staff Writer
October 7, 2021 at 07:00 JST
AWAJI, Hyogo Prefecture--A cow-shaped ice cream dispenser that can deliver a serving in a mere 27 seconds and also utter simple phrases is proving to be a huge hit with customers at an expressway rest stop here.
The “talking” robot, nicknamed Ushi-kun, has helped drive up sales by 10-20 percent since it went into operation in late July at the Awaji Service Area on the inbound lane of the Kobe-Awaji-Naruto Expressway.
When a customer places an order for a soft serve ice cream produced by Awajishima Milk Co., a staff member places a cone on the robot’s “hand.”
Ushi-kun turns the cone in a tight circle to allow the ice cream to swirl into it before handing it to the customer. Each serving costs 350 yen ($3), including tax.
The lack of human contact is aimed at containing the spread of the novel coronavirus.
Ushi-kun reacts to customers’ movements and is programmed to utter more than 20 phrases, such as “I want everyone to enjoy it,” “It’s delicious” and “Please come back.”
Surprised customers often whip out their smartphones to take photos and videos of the robot.
The operator of the food court purchased the robot from a Tokyo company to cheer up customers short of things to smile in the face of the pandemic.
It said sales of soft serve ice cream had risen by 10-20 percent since Ushi-kun took control, compared with the same period last year.
“We are entering a season where ice cream sales will decline, but we are hoping that Ushi-kun will continue to attract customers,” a representative said.
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