Should Robots Have a Face?

Most of the retail robots have just enough human qualities to make them appear benign, but not too many to suggest they are replacing humans entirely. "It's like Mary Poppins," said Peter Hancock, a professor at the University of Central Florida, who has studied the history of automation. "A spoonful of sugar makes the robots go down." Perhaps no other retailer is dealing as intensely with the sensitivities around automation as Walmart, the nation's largest private employer, with about 1.5 million workers. The company spent many months working with the firm Bossa Nova and researchers at Carnegie Mellon University to design a shelf-scanning robot that they hope both employees and customers will feel comfortable with.