SNCF robot gives passengers a laugh

RAIL passengers have been left bemused by humanoid robots on test at three stations which give information on trains - but have also sparked laughter with their responses.

The French-designed Pepper emotional robots are being tested at stations in Nort-sur-Erdre, Saumur and Sables d’Olonne in Pays-de-la-Loire.

In one video put online by Courrier de l'Ouest the robot is asked a question on trains and replied that it was "not as smart as the SNCF ticket machines but, on the other hand, I am more polite".

And when the journalist reeled off the names of several stations it came out with "I don't think we understand each other" followed by "May we shake hands?".

With its big blue eyes, the 1m20 robot is designed to react to and affect human emotions and is sited in a central spot in the stations so passengers can ask questions. They will be on test until March.

Croiser ce robot dans sa gare, lui demander un billet de train et l'entendre te répondre "Nikel il est à l'heure".. pic.twitter.com/uRKDhHH0oB— frenchjojo (@frenchjoj) December 13, 2015

Each robot has a tablet computer on its chest and Ouest France newspaper said that when one passenger at Sables asked for information on local tourist sites Pepper covered up its screen then revealed the answer with a flourish "Ta-ra!"

It threw open its arms and said: "As you can see I have shown the answers on my screen. As it is written backwards, it is difficult to read...

"There is information on the town centre, the hospital and... the last is difficult to read... hmm"

Pepper scratched its head before the passenger suggested "the bus station" and the robot replied "Yes, the bus station" and then carried on as if nothing had happened.

Another passenger said on Twitter that he had asked for a train ticket and was told "Great, it's on time!"

The robots were designed by French company Aldebaran and built by its parent company Softbank in Japan, and they are on use in several Japanese banks and shops for customer service duties.

They are being tested at Carrefour supermarkets in Nantes, Loire-Atlantique; Claye-Souilly in Seine-et-Marne, and Ecully in Rhône-Alpes as well as at Sephora shops with the aim of improving their responses.