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http://www.cnn.com/2004/TECH/ptech/02/23/robot.receptionist.ap/index.html
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PITTSBURGH, Pennsylvania (AP) -- She might not be paid, but Carnegie Mellon University's newest staff member does all that a typical receptionist should: gives directions, answers the phone -- even gossips about her boss.
"Valerie" is considered the world's first robot receptionist with a personality, university officials said. The blonde roboceptionist interacts with people by talking about her boss, her psychiatrist and her dream of being a lounge star.
"We wanted to give her an underdog character, struggling to make it in a world of humans," said Kevin Snipes, 26, a graduate student in drama writing, one of four writers who came up with Valerie's fictional character. "After a while on the job, she gets testy. But she can be charming too."[continued]
The purpose of creating Valerie is to provide a more efficient and interactive way for businesses to handle their receptionist duties. Valerie is designed to handle tasks such as greeting guests, providing directions, and answering frequently asked questions, allowing human receptionists to focus on more complex tasks.
Valerie is equipped with advanced artificial intelligence technology, allowing her to understand and respond to natural language. She also has facial recognition capabilities, which helps her identify and remember guests. Additionally, she has a friendly and approachable personality, making her a perfect fit for a receptionist role.
While Valerie is designed to handle basic receptionist tasks, she cannot fully replace human receptionists. Human receptionists are still necessary for tasks that require emotional intelligence, problem-solving, and decision-making. Valerie is meant to work alongside human receptionists to improve efficiency and customer experience.
Valerie benefits businesses by streamlining the receptionist process and creating a more efficient and interactive experience for guests. This can improve customer satisfaction and free up human receptionists to focus on more important tasks. Additionally, Valerie's advanced technology can help businesses stay up to date with the latest technological advancements.
One potential limitation is that Valerie may not be able to handle complex or unexpected situations as effectively as a human receptionist. She also requires regular maintenance and updates, which can be costly for businesses. Additionally, some guests may prefer interacting with a human receptionist and may not be comfortable with interacting with a robot.