Three robot sightings in one week means it’s a bona fide trend, right? I know robots have been around forever but to run into three on my routine walks around town is a first for me.

First sighting. Walking home one night, I was stopped in my tracks by the above robotic beauty at Zhen Wei Fang, a flashy new hot pot spot around the corner from me on the Bowery. The restaurant’s doors were wide open, and of course, a humanoid robot catches your attention. She (the robot) primarily speaks Mandarin but the human hostess coerced her into wishing me Merry Christmas in English.

Second sighting. A few days later, I walked by the HSBC Bank on Houston Street and noticed it too had a robot greeter. He’s called Pepper and he is a very friendly, modest fellow. He bows, he’ll tell you his name if you ask and he’s eager to be helpful but he has limited skills. See the video of our interaction below.

Third and final sighting. I saw Tokyo Pop Underground at Jeffrey Deitch’s art gallery on Wooster Street. The highlight was Hajime Sorayama’s Sexy Robot_Floating (pics below).

Bottom Line.

The robots are here and they are highly Instagrammable. Beyond that, their usefulness appears limited but they do get people’s attention so that may be enough.

Scroll down for photos and video.

HSBC’s Robot “Pepper”

Sexy Robot_Floating 2019 at Jeffrey Deitch Gallery, NYC