Unilever, which owns brands ranging from Dove to the high-end Tatcha and Hourglass Cosmetics, has been working on robots and artificial intelligence for use in product testing and development. The company’s 120,000-square-foot Materials Innovation Factory (MIF) in Liverpool, U.K., debuted in 2017 in collaboration with the University of Liverpool, and it has been employing robotics and AI to test and develop its products for the previous five years. MIF’s robots have names inspired by celebrities such as Ariana, Shirley, and Gwen. Ariana the robot prepares hair samples for comprehensive laboratory testing. Shirley, a robot, is employed by Tresemmé to assess the user experience and effectiveness of their shampoo and conditioner products. Unilever sees robots, artificial intelligence, and quantum computing as critical to beauty innovation. In its Liverpool lab, it is now testing three collaborative robots, or cobots. It is also bringing in additional stationary robots and intends to include quantum computing once the technology is commercially accessible. AI and robots enable more creative problem-solving and less monotonous work. Working with robotics and artificial intelligence for data allows the company’s global laboratories to track each other’s progress through Microsoft lenses or digital camera feeds.

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