DURBAN - Two South African companies are in ownership of a humanoid robot named Pepper, which was recently discovered to have security flaws.
Pepper. a humanoid robot that has been created to be a daily companion for people. It is also one of a kind because it has the ability to perceive emotions.
Researchers in Sweden have found that the humanoid robot has serious security flaws after they conducted assessments that were both manual and automated.
The two South African companies that do own the humanoid robot are Nedbank and Vodacom. This what they had to say about the robot and its use in the companies.
Nedbank
Nedbank has said that they do own a humanoid robot, however, the main function of the robot is to meet and greet at branches and provide information to Nedbank clients about the bank's products and services.
The bank added that the robot is being used in an autonomous mode which therefore means that the robot is not connected to any Nedbank systems or servers and it does not hold any sensitive information.
Vodacom
Vodacom in a press statement said that they tested the humanoid robot to conduct customer concierge services only. However, the testing did not include the collection of personal data or the processing of customer transactions. The statement also said that there were no robots in deployment at the moment.