Pepper Robot: It's friendly and available for home use! Pepper, the humanoid robot that its creators claim has the ability to recognize and react to human emotions, is available in Japan for home use.
SoftBank said it plans to release 1,000 units per month. Each robot will cost 198,000 Japanese yen (about 1,400 euros), while businesses wishing to rent the humanoid will be able to do so by paying 1,500 yen per hour (about 10 euros).
Despite the fact that the initial price is relatively low for such a sophisticated robot - the price announced by SoftBank is below production costs - customers will have to pay monthly fixed fees of around 24,000 yen (about 170 euros), while they will also have to sign a three-year contract.
Irish robotics professor at the University of Sheffield Noel Sharkey told the British news network BBC that SoftBank's business strategy carries "risks."
"SoftBank hopes that its revenue will come from apps, but that is risky as it is not clear whether developers intend to develop specific apps for the robot," said Sharkey.
However, the company has announced that there are already 100 applications available, which owners will be able to install on the robot.
So far, the company has not announced when it plans to release the robot to global markets, but SoftBank CEO Masayoshi Son said it is likely to happen next year.
Pepper Robot has the ability to "remember" faces and is programmed to recognize human emotions.
Featuring at least 20 motors and highly agile arms, Pepper is characterized as a home robot, which can provide assistance to the elderly, while being suitable for home use.
Watch the related video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kCFYw8mIqcc
Source: nooz
