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Pepper, the humanoid robot that its makers say can recognise and respond to human emotions, goes on sale in Japan this weekend.

SoftBank, the company behind the robot,
is planning to release 1,000 robots every
month.
Pepper will sell for 198,000 yen (£1,000),
and businesses will be able to rent it for
1,500 yen an hour.
Robotic expert Prof Noel Sharkey said
SoftBank's business strategy was "risky".
Although the upfront price is relatively
cheap for a sophisticated robot - SoftBank
is actually selling it at below
manufacturing costs - customers will also
have to pay monthly service fees of up to
24,000 yen and sign up to a three-year
contract.
"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.
There will be 100 apps available for
download at launch.
The robots will be manufactured by
FoxConn. Chinese online retailer Alibaba
is also partnering. Both are investing
$118m in SoftBank's robotic division and
will take 20% shares in the company.
Over-hyped
No date has yet been set for when Pepper
will go on sale outside of Japan, but
Softbank chief executive Masayoshi Son
said it would probably happen next year.
Pepper can remember faces and is
programmed to recognise human
emotions.
"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.
Featuring more than 20 motors and
highly articulated arms, Pepper is being
touted as a household robot, assisting
elderly people or for use in a family.
But Prof Sharkey is not convinced it will
be a hit with consumers.
"There is talk of it being an assistant, but
it can't lift anything, so it is really a very
limited companion," he said.
Japan has a rising elderly population, and
the government is keen to use technology
to help ease its overburdened healthcare
system.
But the use of robotic assistants has not
always gone well, according to Prof
Sharkey.
"There is a big fuss when these things are
launched in Japanese care homes, but go
back after a year and they are in a
cupboard," he said.

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