Robot Mannequins Spy on Shoppers

Am I the only one that finds this creepy?

Faceless, camera-eyed, paraplegic mannequins are coming soon to Japanese department stores, as Flower Robotics shows off its prototype models that not only turn to pose for individual shoppers, but take pictures of shoppers and forward the images to store security. Code-named ‘Palette,’ the new mannequins “pose for the nearest person by sensing his or her position.” There’s no price or availability information yet, but when you see a featureless robot leering at you in the latest couture, you’re probably on camera.

(The picture isn’t a Palette, by the way. If you have a picture, send it in.) (Thanks, Emmanuel!)

Robot mannequins strike a pose [TVNZ]

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[Gizmodo]