ATR and Vstone’s communication / service robot Robovie-R Ver.3, designed for the elderly and disabled, will undergo viability studies in a shopping mall beginning this November.  It will guide shoppers by the hand and carry items in a basket that hooks onto its arms.  ATR hopes that the robot will help usher older people back into the community who would otherwise tend to stay shut in at home.  One new feature which was previously unclear is the robot’s ability to recite product information – sensors will detect its location in the store and what products are on nearby shelves.

Video:

[source: Robomedia 2010 (JP)] & [Ssozaki @ YouTube]