This Indian bank is getting a robot to greet customers

An Indian bank is planning to get a robot to greet its walk-in customers. Call it giving your service, um, a robotic touch.

The robot, which is being piloted by India's second largest private bank by assets, HDFC Bank, will assist customers with common tasks like withdrawing or transferring money or just finding the relevant department to get their task done. The robot is reportedly a part of the bank's "Project AI" program.

The unnamed humanoid will come equipped with a touchscreen display which customers could use to input their query. The bank will soon beta test the robot at one of its Mumbai branches. Mashable India can independently confirm the claims. The project is reminiscent of Softbank-owned Pepper humanoid robot, which is capable of reading human emotions, and the Nao robot that Bank of Tokyo-Mitsubishi had introduced last year. The $8,000 Nao, however, offers more sophisticated services. It speaks Japanese, English, and Chinese and also helps customers who are seeking help with opening a bank account or filing a complaint after losing their card. HDFC Bank's robot, however, will have limited capabilities and will supposedly only serve the role of a receptionist, for now. Ravi Narayanan, Country Head, Branch Banking & Retail Trade, Foreign Exchange Business, HDFC Bank had recently hinted that banks will be among the first sectors in the country to deploy artificial intelligence technology.

It remains unclear if this is a one-off experiment for HDFC Bank or if it plans to get these robots to all its branches.