Niska introduces robotic vendor through ice cream

Australian retail start-up Niska is bringing an interactive robotic experience to Melbourne with the launch of a game-changing ice cream store at Federation Square.

Niska, Australia’s first-ever robotic retail store, offers Australian-made artisan ice-cream with a variety of flavors and toppings, all served by a team of robot staffers: Pepper, Eka, and Tony.

The robots create a unique customer experience and “world-class service” by establishing meaningful interactions with each person.

Visitors can even take selfies with Pepper, the social humanoid robot, and their ice cream, with photo spaces available within the store.

With bricks-and-mortar retailers realizing the importance of creating unique and curated merchandise experiences, Niska is getting ahead of the curve with robotic retail.

CEO and co-founder Kate Orlova said the company plans to revolutionize the retail space.

“For us, ice-cream is just the beginning. We’re looking to expand the robotics into other areas of retail. The future is here and it is exciting! We look forward to changing the retail game and pioneering retail robotics,” she said.

Minister for Jobs, Innovation, and Trade, Martin Pakula called it a “real feather in the cap for Victorian innovation”.

“There is amazing work going on here in areas like robotics and artificial intelligence – and the ice-cream’s also pretty good,” he said.

Niska is now open at Tenancy 20, Crossbar Building Federation Square.