“Pepper” is a 4-foot tall, 62-pound humanoid robot that adapts to its surroundings and reacts to them by using proprietary algorithms. This results in a robot that not only reacts proactively to situations, but one that is also capable of interfacing and communicating with people. By using the latest voice recognition technology, Pepper is able to recognize human emotions while analyzing expressions and voice tones. Communicating with Pepper promises to be as effortless as talking to your friends and family – maybe even easier.
“For the past nine years, I’ve believed that the most important role of robots will be as kind and emotional companions to enhance our daily lives, to bring happiness, constantly surprise us, and make people grow. The emotional robot will create a new dimension in our lives and new ways of interacting with technology. It’s just the beginning, but already a promising reality. Thanks to Pepper, the future begins today and we want all of you to be a part of it.”
— Bruno Maisonnier, Founder & CEO of Aldebaran
Being your friend is not all Pepper can do; it also has plenty of interesting features that make it a one-of-a-kind robot unlike anything we’ve ever seen before.
Pepper’s Main Features
- Judges situations with an array of sensors, incorporates proprietary algorithms to control applications autonomously
- Estimates emotions based on expressions and voice tones using emotion recognition functions
- Over 12 continuous hours of battery life
- Articulates gracefully with a high degree of freedom thanks to proprietarily developed joints
- Can acquire various types of information and synchronize with cloud-based databases through an Internet connection
- Uses sensors to avoid collisions and has autobalance to prevent falls, among other various safety features
- Capabilities are expandable by installing various new types of robot apps
- Aldebaran’s software development kit (SDK) will be provided for a wide range of applications, from simple movements to advanced customization using widely available programming languages
Pepper’s sole purpose is to be a friend that is always there for you, whether you’re happy or sad. While it won’t simplify your life by cooking and cleaning, it will tell you a joke when you’re feeling down or give you a high-five when you’re in a good mood. For the first time ever, humans will be able to have a robotic companion that actually understands them. The question is: Will people want to replace their friends with robots?
Before you start cutting ties with your buddies in favor of Pepper, you’ll have to move to Asia. The humanoid robot will go on sale in Japan starting February 2015 and there is no indication it will ever receive a global release. But at a surprisingly low price of $1,900 USD, Pepper may be the best friend you’ve been looking for.
