• by Richard Whitman , Columnist, March 13, 2016

At SXSW this year RPA debuted its latest creation, GIMI-5, a robot they refer to as a “karma-bot” whose mission is to “convert Internet love into real-world love," through high-fives. GIMI-5 is roaming the streets of Austin and is powered by likes, favorites and mentions. For each mention he gets on social media through the use of the hashtag #gimi5, he pays it forward with a high-five.  

Of the project, RPA SVP Director of Growth and Innovation Tim Leake said: “We liked the idea of creating a physical manifestation of a social media 'like'. GIMI-5 lets us spread some positivity during one of the most influential industry events in the U.S. GIMI-5 is a product of an internal innovation program we call "6F." Passionate associates are encouraged to bring ideas to life but they have to figure out how to make it happen, how to fund it, how to get approval, how to collaborate across disciplines and how to overcome obstacles. It’s more than just making something cool; they’re learning by doing.”

The GIMI-5 robot was the result of an agency contest that asked employees to submit ideas to help RPA stand out at SXSW Interactive. The team that volunteered to work on GIMI-5 included creatives, tech and even finance, and had about five weeks to assemble the karma-bot. 

The robot is made out of foam, wood putty, spray paint and steel pipes. The agency says GIMI-5 was inspired by “cute” robots like BB8, R2D2 and Eve (from Wall-E). The look, combined with the high-fiving functionality, is meant to give off the warm, fuzzy feeling one experiences after receiving a like online.

And from the looks of the attendees who interacted with GIMI-5 that was certainly accomplished.

In terms of operations, GIMI-5 has a 360-degree camera attached to his head that will capture anything and everything while at SXSW. His arm has an accelerometer that counts every high-five he gives and gets. Each time GIMI-5 distributes a high-five, it is recorded on rpa.com/gimi5 in a real-time counter. The site also hosts a feed of social media mentions, video and photo content. The initiative is promoted on Twitter and Facebook.