Humanoid Robot On Sale In Japan

A humanoid robot that is claimed to have the ability to recognise and respond to human emotions is now available to the public in Japan.

18:04 19 June 2015

Softbank, the company that makes humanoid robots, have officially made the robot available to the public. The company, which claims that the robot can recognise and respond to human emotions, plans to release 1,000 robots every month. 

 

The robot, called Pepper, has a tag price of 198,000 yen or £1,000. Along with the purchase are a three-year contract and a monthly service fee of up to 24,000 yen. The company’s strategy was described by Prof Noel Sharkey, a robotic expert, “risky.” 

 

"SoftBank is hoping to make money from apps, but it is risky as it is not clear whether anyone will develop any for it," said Prof Sharkey, from the University of Sheffield.

 

Talking about Pepper’s capabilities, Prof Sharkey said: "It looks excellent, and I think that it is good at conveying human-like gestures - but the way it detects human emotions might be over-hyped," said Prof Sharkey.

 

"I think that they are over-claiming on its speech functions, too. The conversations are very one-sided, and it asks a lot of questions," he added.