How Pepper the robot will become newest crew member of Costa Cruise Line - TechRepublic

Robots have been working at factories, hospitals, schools--and on April 30, 2016, a "handful" of robots named Pepper will join Costa Cruises, a branch of Carnival, as the newest crew members. Pepper is a 4-foot humanoid robot built by Aldebaran, a SoftBank company based in Paris, that is designed to read human emotions. While it is not the first robot seen on a cruise--there have been robo-bartenders, and a small robot named Mel was used at Costa for entertainment--it is the first to interact with vacationers in a broader way, providing directions, information about destinations, entertainment, and general assistance. The world's smartest cities: What IoT and smart governments will mean for you Intelligent cities are at the forefront of the next wave of the Internet of Things. The goals are to streamline communication and improve the lives of citizens. And save a little money along the way.