Tokyo - Humanoid robot guides are being used at a shopping mall in the Japanese city of Osaka to give consumers "a helping hand".

Standing 114 centimetres tall, "Robovie II" whirrs up to customers with tips on where to shop. It can tell from the way they walk whether shoppers have gone astray or are hesitant about entering a particular store, said Takaati Akimoto. He heads the ATR Intelligent Robotics and Communication Laboratories in Seika, which developed the droid.

Three different robot guides are being tested close to Universal Studios in Osaka, said Akimoto. These include Wakamura, a robot sales assistant with an onboard display which interacts with customers. It monitors the store signs people are reading before showing what it "thinks" to be relevant information. The machine was developed by Mitsubishi Heavy Industries.

The various robots are interlinked to provide consumers with the highest level of service, said Akimoto in Osaka. There is no word however on when the droids might become commercially available.

Japan's falling birth rate and rapidly-ageing population have encouraged a number of companies and research institutes to come up with robot guides to complete simple tasks and support citizens in their daily lives.