Robot ‘Lucy’ Lines Up to Get an iPhone 6s in Australia

We reported this morning that iPhone line ups have already started in Canada, as early adopters wait eagerly outside the stores for the official launch of Apple’s new iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus smartphones tomorrow. Now, Mashable is reporting that a robot named ‘Lucy’ is also lining up at the flagship Apple Store in Sydney, Australia, to get an iPhone 6s.

Apparently the telepresence robot is standing in place of its human controller Lucy Kelly, who has to get on with her normal life, notes the source. As shown above, robot Lucy is attached to a Segway-type device that allows a person to be somewhat physically present despite not being there. The robot arrived to take the position of fourth-in-line at the flagship Apple Store on George Street at 5 a.m. Thursday, with Kelly communicating through it from 6 a.m., making it the first time a robot has lined up to buy an iPhone.

Kelly is meanwhile chilling in the warmth of her office, while her robot counterpart stands in the wind and rain. The company she works for, media agency Atomic 212, has sourced and built six of these robots to play with in their office — her boss even attended meetings in Sydney while he was in Bali using one of them. “We use them for everything, just to show new technology. It is a cool demonstration of what the future of technology will be,” Kelly told Mashable Australia. “We are obsessed with them.” 

Kelly revealed that Lucy works by using an app that allows a person to connect from anywhere and communicate through the iPad. She has also been using it to communicate with her new friends in the line waiting to get the new iPhone 6s.

Check out some more pics of Lucy waiting in line to get the iPhone.