This post is also available in: 日本語 (Japanese)
Increase in Yearly Visitors at School Information Fair Which Used Pepper!
～At December’s Information Fair, Pepper Also Performed a Success Prayer with Sound and Video～
Seikatsu Kakumei, LLC. (Headquarters: Saitama City, Saitama Prefecture, President: Yuko Miyazawa, hereby referred to as Seikatsu Kakumei) has unveiled its presentation service using the emotion-recognizing humanoid robot Pepper, as adopted by the school administration of Jouhoku Saitama Middle and High Schools (Location: Kawagoe City, Saitama Prefecture, Chairman: Fumihiko Kondo, hereby referred to as Jouhoku Saitama) and implemented in 6 school information fairs from May 23, 2015 until now. In using Pepper, the number of visitors has increased throughout the year (a 30% increase from the previous year), contributing to the increase of the schools’ image (*1), as an example of the successful use of a robot at a private middle school.
At the final school information fair of the year on December 5, 2015, as a new plan Pepper is scheduled to perform an examination success prayer.
*1 Result from Jouhoku Saitama, based on a survey administered to school information fair participants.
■Pepper’s Usefulness at a Place of Learning
The full-fledged commercial use robot Pepper which debuted in 2014 and, in January 2015, was presented as a “new robot strategy” by the METI, has accelerated the use of robots in service industries (including education).
Jouhoku Saitama has also taken advantage of this opportunity, at the site of its regularly held school information fair for new students in 2016 as part of a presentation hosted by Pepper.
“In terms of practicality, our biggest task was producing stable behavior during presentation.” “We were able to develop this stable presentation system using the know-how gained from our accumulated experience in using Pepper. With this, we were able to successfully provide a stable and secure Pepper presentation at the site of this school information fair where numerous examinees and their guardians have gathered.” (Seikatsu Kakumei President Miyazawa)
■Jouhoku Saitama’s Efforts
Seikatsu Kakumei and Jouhou Saitama have implemented the efforts below using this new robot technology.
-In preparation for the information sessions which started in May, Seikatsu Kakumei and the school (students and instructors) worked together to plan the subject matter of the information sessions. Pepper and students acted as moderators for the day. Thanks to the accurate subject explanation and the advanced appeal of Pepper’s image, Pepper led students and instructors to be able to understand more deeply.
-From September’s school information session, the instructors themselves developed their own Pepper moderator program. The instructor-initiated incorporation of a new status prompted students’ voluntary efforts; this also tied into the school’s advanced appeal.
As for the results of these efforts, the numbers of visitors to each information session saw a 30% increase from the previous year. In a survey given to participants after the sessions, answers showing good impressions such as “We were able to get a strong feeling of the school” saw a strong increase from the previous year.
Additionally, for this initiative, Seikatsu Kakumei is in charge of consulting for the entire information session, planning and dispatch of Pepper usage, and program development, and administration.
■New Plans at the School Information Fair on December 5
A unique plan not yet seen is scheduled for the final school info session of the year to be held on December 5. In addition to the traditional content of the Pepper presentation, Pepper will be performing an exam prayer with sound and video for Jouhoku Saitama’s examinees, where Pepper sends strong feelings out to all middle school examinees.
Realizing the effects of using robots in a place of education, Jouhoku Saitama Middle School and High School will hereon, outside of information sessions, create even more hands-on opportunities for students to interact with robots, also considering uses at school events. Through this kind of activity and robot placement, the school hopes to improve students’ ability to understand IT and improve efficiency of school operations as well。
“As an advanced approach for a private middle school, while stimulating the school industry, we seek to continue making important central changes to create a new shape of education”, says Jouhoku Saitama’s PR representation.
■Results of School Information Fairs Until Now
Dates : From May 23 until November 7, 2015 (6 Sessions)
Venue : School Administration Jouhoku Saitama Middle School and High School
Location : 585-1 Furuichiba. Kawagoe City, Saitama Prefecture 350-0014
Entrance Fee : Free
■Planned Dates for Future School Information Sessions
Dates : December 5, 2015 (Final event of the year)
Venue : School Administration Jouhoku Saitama Middle School and High School
Location : 585-1 Furuichiba. Kawagoe City, Saitama Prefecture 350-0014
Access : http://www.johokusaitama.ac.jp/access.html
Additionally, at the final information session, distribution of a charm is planned to pray for the success of all examinees.
■School Administration Jouhoku Saitama Middle School and High School Corporate Profile
Company Name : School Administration Jouhoku Saitama Middle School and High School
Location : 585-1 Furuichiba, Kawagoe, Saitama 350-0014
Representative : Chairman Fumihiko Kondo
Year Founded : 1979
URL : http://www.johokusaitama.ac.jp/
■Seikatsu Kakumei, LLC Corporate Profile
Seikatsu Kakumei is a smart device software company advocating “the enhancement of humanity and robotics”. In creating robot software for Pepper, management of businesses using the Pepper robot, to product issues 言及した形での suggestions of how to use the Pepper robot from a global viewpoint, basic planning and development・at local events Pepper robot 運用までを行なう企業として好評を得てきています。
Already at major housing maker and Saitama events, etc, many performances have been realized using the robot Pepper, including presentations, business reception, and playing games with children. According to President Miyazawa, “Different from the order seen in manga, there’s no resistance against robots in Japan. Corporations and customers alike are becoming ambitious towards robot use; we have been able to realize full-scale business operations.”
Company Name : Seikatsu Kakumei, LLC.
Representative : CEO Yuukou Miyazawa
Location : 2-3-2 Mio Shintoshin 5F, Kami-Ochiai, Chuo, Saitama City, Saitama
Date Founded : May 2014
Subject of Work : Internet service planning, development, and provision for smart devices
Capital : 4,500,000 yen
URL ： http://www.seikaku.co.jp/
http://on.fb.me/1FpqhME
*The information contained in this release is current as of the time of its original publication. Please be aware that it may be subject to change without notice.
: count(): Parameter must be an array or an object that implements Countable in
