Latest news with #IanWallace
Gulf Today
4 days ago
- Automotive
- Gulf Today
British car showrooms may feature AI-powered robots as salesmen soon
Robots powered by AI could soon be selling cars to customers in the UK as a global car manufacturer debuts an unusual new member of staff. Omoda and Jaecoo owner Chery has showed off robotic sales assistant 'Mornine' at the Shangai Motor Show on 23 April. It can greet customers, show them around a car, and even make them a tea or coffee. The AI robot uses machine learning to improve its performance, learning from interactions with customers. It has been trialled in showrooms in Malaysia and could soon be rolled out worldwide, a spokesperson for Chery said. The car maker added that Mornine has capabilities including perception, cognition, decision making and task execution and explained the 'ideal use case' was for 'dealer-level admin and service.' The car brand's robotics experts said Mornine uses speech and vision inputs that allow it to 'accurately interpret commands including physical gestures'. Ian Wallace, spokesperson for Chery's Omoda and Jaecoo brands in the UK, said Mornine could even be offered for use in people's homes in the future if showroom trials go well. He said: 'Mornine is an intelligent showroom aid. She can show customers around a vehicle, she can answer questions and she can make teas and coffees, so in a busy showroom environment, if staff are tied up, she's there to be a helpful face of the brand. 'She has learning capabilities so she can react to commands and learn your voice so if you were to use her in a household environment she would start to learn what you like and don't like.' Chery said the robot uses 'automotive-grade hardware' to allow it to walk upright and it has 'dexterous hands' to allow it to grip items. It can also distinguish between voices to identify different customers. The car maker also showcased a robotic dog called 'Argos' at the Shanghai show. They say the AI-powered animal is designed to offer companionship to those who are unable to keep real pets at home. The Independent
Yahoo
13-05-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Island man's first marathon raises £800 for sea pool project
An Isle of Wight man has raised £800 for charity after completing his first marathon. Ian Wallace raised the money for the Isle of Wight Sea Pool Project at the Southampton Marathon. He started running two years ago after starting with Couch to 5k, and signed up for the Southampton marathon after seeing an advert. In 2022, Ian was suffering from anxiety and depression, and started cold water swimming to help. Read more: Marathon-running Island chef reveals his culinary guilty pleasures He chose to do his first swim with experienced swimmers, and has since become involved in the community. Ian said: "My first swim was transformational, I felt a rush unlike anything I had ever experienced. "I couldn't really swim much, but I felt safe because I was with experienced sea swimmers. "That first time sea swimming had an immediate impact on my mental health, and from then on I was hooked." Ian chose the Isle of Wight Sea Pool Project as his charity for the marathon. The project aims to create an accessible and sheltered tidal pool in Yaverland to help everyone experience swimming in nature. Ian said: "'The Isle of Wight Sea Pool Project means so much to me. "The accessibility of a tidal sea pool on the island will bring so many benefits to the whole community. "I want this pool to happen.'
Yahoo
23-04-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
AI-powered robot salesperson could be coming to UK showrooms
Robots powered by AI could soon be selling cars to customers in the UK as a global car manufacturer debuts an unusual new member of staff. Omoda and Jaecoo owner Chery has showed off robotic sales assistant 'Mornine' at the Shangai Motor Show on 23 April. It can greet customers, show them around a car, and even make them a tea or coffee. The AI robot uses machine learning to improve its performance, learning from interactions with customers. It has been trialled in showrooms in Malaysia and could soon be rolled out worldwide, a spokesperson for Chery said. The car maker added that Mornine has capabilities including perception, cognition, decision making and task execution and explained the 'ideal use case' was for 'dealer-level admin and service.' The car brand's robotics experts said Mornine uses speech and vision inputs that allow it to 'accurately interpret commands including physical gestures'. Ian Wallace, spokesperson for Chery's Omoda and Jaecoo brands in the UK, said Mornine could even be offered for use in people's homes in the future if showroom trials go well. He said: 'Mornine is an intelligent showroom aid. She can show customers around a vehicle, she can answer questions and she can make teas and coffees, so in a busy showroom environment, if staff are tied up, she's there to be a helpful face of the brand. 'She has learning capabilities so she can react to commands and learn your voice so if you were to use her in a household environment she would start to learn what you like and don't like.' Chery said the robot uses 'automotive-grade hardware' to allow it to walk upright and it has 'dexterous hands' to allow it to grip items. It can also distinguish between voices to identify different customers. The car maker also showcased a robotic dog called 'Argos' at the Shanghai show. They say the AI-powered animal is designed to offer companionship to those who are unable to keep real pets at home.
