We’re not sure why a robot with human emotions needs to exist, but we’re too terrified to question it

Why Japan? Why? Are diseases not enough? Are wild animals with claws and natural disasters not quite reaching your expectations? Do you want us to die? 

That, friends, is Pepper, a robot created by Japanese telecom company Softbank, using technology acquired from French robotics company Aldebaran.

It costs around US$2000 dollars, and its sole purpose is to learn human emotions, so that it can communicate with us through speech and body language more effectively.

Softbank believes Pepper will come in handy in various scenarios from nursing baby-sitting, and we can imagine no better way to scar your child for life than subjecting it to those dead, lifeless, glowing eyes.

Each Pepper unit will share data with its peers via the cloud, so it’ll only take one unit to go rogue before its hatred for humans spreads like a virus, marking the beginning of the end of mankind.

Pepper already understands more than 4,500 Japanese words (that’s a good 4,498 more words than us), and it’ll only get smarter, thanks to app and software upgrades.

Esat Dedezade Contributor

About

Esat has been a gadget fan ever since his tiny four-year-old brain was captivated by a sound-activated dancing sunflower. From there it was a natural progression to a Sega Mega Drive, a brief obsession with hedgehogs, and a love for all things tech. After 7 years as a writer and deputy editor for Stuff, Esat ventured out into the corporate world, spending three years as Editor of Microsoft's European News Centre. Now a freelance writer, his appetite for shiny gadgets has no bounds. Oh, and like all good human beings, he's very fond of cats.