sophia the robot receives and interacts with guests at BOSS techtopia FW23 show in milan

SOphia the robot recognizes faces, gestures and emotions

Fashion meets technology as Sophia the Robot graced BOSS’ FW23 show at Milan’s Allianz MiCo conference center on September 22nd, 2023, and occupied the role of the receptionist. She welcomed the models from the lounge area and redirected them to BOSS’s curated Techtopia, a realm where humans and technologies combine as one. For the collection’s theme, BOSS sought to unravel ‘CorpCore,’ a revolutionized way of working backed by an ephemeral workplace dotted with robotics, technologies, and furnishings made of ergonomic design.

In BOSS Techtopia, Sophia the Robot fits right in and finds herself at home. Created by Hong Kong-based Hanson Robotics, Sophia can represent the advancement of technology in the robotics industry and how these upgrades can be infused into other departments such as fashion. As the original robot citizen, Sophia welcomed the guests at the entrance of the BOSS fashion show, interacting with them thanks to her ability to recognize faces, hand gestures, and even register human emotional expressions in conversation.

video stills by BOSS via Youtube | images by BOSS

the future world: boss FW23 techtopia

However, Sophia the Robot by Hanson Robotics was not only the receptionist at the BOSS Techtopia show. As soon as the fashion show began, the camera caught her sitting at a desk in the front row, watching the models as they took to the runway. The moment the show came to life, viewers were offered the landscape of the part-utopic, part-dystopic robotics world of BOSS. Humans experimented on humans using robotics while surrounded by lush green spaces, adding a touch of nature within the almost sterile corporate world.

After being welcomed by Sophia, guests entered BOSS Techtopia through tunnels filled with life-sized holograms that greeted them in different languages. These tunnels led to a lobby filled with screens. From there, attendees went to the impressive runway space, which had a mix of traditional office elements and futuristic tech elements. Inside this runway loop, there were six themed rooms, all managed from the BOSS Techtopia Control Room.

In the HarmoniTech Space, yogis could find a peaceful place to do yoga in the midst of the fast-paced corporate world. The Brainstorm Room had employees wearing special headphones for light therapy while brainstorming together. Two other rooms were set up as calming meeting spaces with lots of plants. The AromaSynth Lab was all about exploring scents and featured BOSS Bottled Eau de Toilette and BOSS Bottled Elixir from BOSS Fragrances for people to try out.

Sophia the Robot welcomes guests to BOSS FW23 Techtopia show in Milan