Five state-of-the-art Pepper robots are being added to the Costa Diadema to ensure passengers enjoy the best onboard entertainment during their holidays.
Pepper is able to interact with travelers and understand their mood in order to suggest the most appealing plans. It also answers questions about onboard services, provides useful information about destinations, dances… and even poses with guests for souvenir selfies.
The Costa Diadema, Costa Cruises' flagship vessel, was chosen as the venue to unveil Pepper, the world's first robot capable of recognizing fundamental human emotions and proactively interacting with its immediate surroundings. Starting today, five Pepper robots will be operational on all seven-day Western Mediterranean cruises aboard the Costa Diadema, tasked with entertaining passengers and making their time on board an even more unique and unforgettable experience. This innovation, the first of its kind in the cruise industry, is the result of an agreement, announced last year, between the Italian cruise line and SoftBank Robotics (formerly Aldebaran), part of the SoftBank Group.
Launched in 2014 in Tokyo, Pepper is fully equipped with features and a high-level interface that allow it to communicate with those around it using the latest advances in facial and voice recognition. Furthermore, Pepper interacts with passengers in English, French, and Italian.
“With the introduction of these robots on board the Costa Diadema, Costa Cruises once again confirms its strong commitment to innovation. Our goal is to surprise those who choose to spend their holidays with us and exceed their expectations by offering something unforgettable. I am convinced that interacting with Pepper will be a great experience for all our guests,” said Neil Palomba, President of Costa Cruises.
“We are delighted that the Costa Group was the first to welcome Pepper on board, offering a unique and fun experience. We hope Costa travelers enjoy their journey even more and that Pepper successfully fulfills its mission of entertaining them,” said Fumihide Tomizawa, President of SoftBank Robotics Corp.
Passengers on the Costa Diadema have the opportunity to meet these robots in five areas of the ship. In addition to answering direct questions, Pepper is able to attract attention and interact when people approach it. Its most amusing features are linked to its ability to entertain: Pepper can dance with guests, involve them in games, or suggest posing for a selfie as a souvenir.
Beyond simply making passengers smile, these robots offer useful information about the ship and its services, such as bars and restaurants, excursions, activity programs, the spa, and shops. Pepper can also provide directions to destinations included in the itinerary, which in the case of the Costa Diadema are Savona, Marseille, Barcelona, Palma, Cagliari, and Civitavecchia. Finally, this humanoid robot can ask passengers for their feedback on their cruise experience and point out the most important onboard services.
Following this trial being carried out on board the Costa Diadema, from September 2016 another trial will be carried out with five more Pepper robots on board the Costa Fascinosa, another Costa Cruises ship that offers seven-day cruises in the Mediterranean.
Pepper in numbers
– 120 cm
– 29 kg
– 12 hours of battery life
– 6 lasers
– 3D
cameras
– 2 2D cameras
– 10-inch tablet screen
