Yakult's Japanese vending machine was another world first - a smart machine that ties in with Yakult's Japanese heritage and teaches customers Japanaese. For each word correctly pronounced, customers are rewarded with a little bottle of Yakult.
The technology behind the project involved using Natural Language Processing (NLP) and facial recognition to detect customers approaching, engage them, and detect how accurately they pronounced key words, including 'hello', 'good morning', and 'thank you'.
Stage 2 of the project involved developing an interactive digital game that customers battled to win, upon which they received a prized Yakult!
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