Following the success of CoRobots during the exhibition Eppur si Muove which took place at the Mudam from July 2015 to January 2016, a new research project has recently started with the Luxembourg City Museum of History. The SnT Automation & Robotics Research Group is among the first institutions in Europe to receive Pepper, a humanoid robot which can capture and convey human emotions.

In July 2016, there was tremendous excitement among researchers of the Social Robotics Lab around the arrival of Pepper at the University of Luxembourg. Dr. Patrice Caire who leads the project is very proud: 'Our laboratory was chosen by SoftBank Robotics, the leader in humanoid robotics, to pursue research activities with their latest robot, Pepper. This is the result of our high-quality research with Nao, the first humanoid robot developed by the now Japanese, then French company, and especially our work concerning interaction between humans and robots.'

According to the needs of the museum, SnT researchers are now working on a scenario with questions and answers, which could help and entertain visitors. Moreover, three types of actions should be accomplished by Pepper:

• interact in a playful manner with the visitors while providing them with relevant information;
• engage the visitors to discover the museum’s various pieces in display using its integrated tablet to give additional information or show archival material whenever needed;
• localize itself and the visitors to enhance their personal experience of the museum.

The first step of the project concerns the panorama 'Le Marché-aux-Herbes vers 1650'. In this circular room, visitors go back to the 17^th century as they immersed in the ancient marketplace. In this space, Pepper will explain in an interactive and role-playing manner how people lived and worked and how important this place used to be.

In partnership with Luxembourg City, a steering committee composed of researchers and representatives of the city and museum was formed. The last meeting took place in October 2016 and the first tests with Pepper are very promising.

The official presentation of Pepper at the Luxembourg City Museum of History is foreseen for the first semester of 2017. In the meantime, visitors can attend training sessions of the Luxembourg United robots in the frame of the exhibition 'Football Hallelujah!'

Picture, from left to right:  Alexander Eyjolfsson (SnT), Patrice Caire (SnT), Marie-Paule Jungblut (Musée d'Histoire de la Ville de Luxembourg), Christiane Sietzen (Ville de Luxembourg), Daniele Wagener (Ville de Luxembourg), Pepper, Christiane Schaul (Ville de Luxembourg), Holger Voos (SnT) and Gary Cornelius (SnT).