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OuterWorld Bookstore, a sci-fi bookseller in Carlisle, Calif., has added a new canine staff member who "does it all," according to owner Brad Compton. Ruff2Dog2, nicknamed "Chip," is an experimental robo-dog on loan from the Silicon Valley lab where Compton's brother runs an ambitious experimental program aimed at socializing robots into everyday life situations.
Chip, who is currently fluent in five languages and has tens of thousands of books stored in his memory (along with an up-to-the-minute list of the bookshop's inventory), is now working 24-hour shifts, seven days per week at OuterWorld Bookstore. He can greet customers, lead them to sections and even make book recommendations when prompted. In addition, he serves as the overnight security guard on the premises.
"My brother said Chip could be customized with prehensile front paws and the ability to stand on his hind legs and shelve books if we wanted that," said Compton. "But it's early days for this experiment, and I just don't want to unsettle our patrons too much, even though they’re an imaginative lot. We'll just take this step by step. He's a good dog, though, very literate, and I'm not much of a dog guy generally." --Robert Gray