Harold Walsh: Creative Works.
4. Niska
World’s first Automated Gelateria
I represented SoftBank Robotics (SBR) and played a crucial role in integrating the social robot Pepper into an innovative, fully automated gelato store. This ambitious venture, spanning March 2019 to March 2020, marked a significant achievement in my career, involving a complex collaboration with various stakeholders including ABB Robotics, KUKA Robotics, Phosphor Point of Sale systems, and Invest Victoria.
My responsibilities were multifaceted. I served as a Human-Robot Interaction and Human Factors consultant to Avion Communications and worked closely with Special Patterns, a pattern and toolmaking company. My tasks included conveying site and system design requirements, hardware modification and integration, as well as software development, support, and troubleshooting. Liaising between clients, manufacturers, and other stakeholders was a key part of my role, along with ensuring quality assurance and testing.
I was deeply involved in the CAD design, detailing, editing, and also contributed to UX/UI Design and Copywriting. The project's challenge was to seamlessly integrate Pepper into a robotic ice cream store, enhancing the customer experience while maintaining a 'closed loop' system. My application of best practice principles in social robotics and user experience was pivotal in optimizing the equipment and robot placement, considering site specifics, product displays, and point of sale systems.
A significant outcome of my involvement was the A/B testing with two POS configurations, which revealed a 76% customer preference for ordering with the Robot. This project, a highlight among over 50 projects I had with SBR, culminated in the successful installation of the final system at Federation Square, Victoria. I authored a comprehensive research report on this project, which served as a pilot and case study for SBR, gaining recognition in their global 2019 wrap-up and as a key commercial case study. Having been strictly limited to academic use until this point, this pilot project green-lit SBR’s approval for commercial use of Pepper within APAC.
Following the project's commercial success and the social acceptance of a robotic ice cream store, NISKA has scaled its business and relocated to Dubai, with many of my scalable hospitality and retail installation designs being used for other activations and events.
https://quokkagelato.ae/