This Southeast Asia mall will have robots assisting customers in 2019

The Philippines’ richest man Henry Sy will start rolling out robots next year to help customers navigate his massive shopping malls.

Initially three androids will be deployed in the first quarter of 2019 in SM Megamall, the nation’s second-biggest shopping center, said Steven Tan, chief operating officer for the shopping malls of SM Prime Holdings Inc. The talking bots will provide mall directions and information on promotions and events, Tan said.

Megamall, among the biggest in Southeast Asia, spans 477,000 square meters (5.1 million square feet) or an area equivalent to about 89 football fields, and serves about 277,000 people every day,