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Buyers of robot that simulates emotions must agree not to have sex with it
The popular 'Pepper' robots are soon to be distributed worldwide. However, owners must agree not to do naughty things with them
"Pepper" is displayed in Tokyo Photo: Photo: Yuya Shino/ Reuters
By Helena Horton
12:28PM BST 25 Sep 2015
There's been quite an outcry over the impending invention of complex, responsive sex robots, with campaigners asking for them to be banned.
Now, the creators of Pepper, the 'emotional robot' have asked buyers to sign a contract promising they won't debase the bot before they buy it.
They have forbidden users for creating 'sexy apps' for the robot, using it for sexual purposes or reprogramming it to stalk people.
The robot costs £1,300 to buy and £250 a month in rent, and is intended as a companion.
SoftBank, the company behind the robot, has included a clause in the ownership contract which states that using the robot for sexual purposes breaks this agreement.
They said: Pepper must not be used "for sexual activity and actions for the purpose of indecent acts, or acts for the purpose of meeting and dating and making acquaintance of the opposite sex."
Some people have already broken the agreement, and the trust of the creators, by programming the touchscreen hanging from its neck to show hanging virtual breasts.
Pepper is meant to be a friendly, non-sexual companion to live alongside humans.
It reads emotions, can give owners advice and make small talk, and can mimic human behaviour such as empathy, and even love.
The robot was designed to help address Japan's rapidly ageing population. The median age in the country is 46 - one of the world's highest - and its birth rate has slumped to a record low.
Pepper, which is four foot high, and weighs around four-and-a-half stone, can dance to music, bow in respect and move its arms in a convincing interpretation of human movement.
Latest batch of white-hot 'Pepper' robots sold out in one minute
2015/09/26 16:32:26
Taipei, Sept. 26 (CNA) The latest batch of 1,000 "Pepper" robots developed by Japanese telecom giant SoftBank Corp. and Taiwanese contract manufacturer Hon Hai Precision Industry Co. (鴻海) were sold out in one minute after being put up for sale Saturday morning, according to the Japanese company.
SoftBank unveiled the Pepper robot in the Japan market on June 18 for the first time and the human-like device sparked enthusiasm from Japanese consumers immediately after the launch.
Pepper, created to function as a social companion for humans, is not only able to read human emotions, but can also express feelings of its own to respond to emotional signifiers, like laughing or frowning.
On June 18, SoftBank put 1,000 Pepper robots up for sale, which promptly sold out in one minute. The second batch of 1,000 Pepper robots were taken up in one minute after the launch on July 31 and so were the third batch on Aug. 29. The current fourth batch of 1,000 robots followed the same pattern by also selling out within a minute of their launch for sale at 10 a.m. Saturday.
Softbank has upgraded the Pepper robot and the new version is able to memorize and store data on human responses by using cloud technology-based artificial intelligence applications developed by the company's subsidiary cocoro SB.
Softbank said that it is scheduled to launch the fifth batch of additional 1,000 Pepper robots on Oct. 31, while the developer has started to take applications from enthusiastic fans online for their purchases.
Pepper robots are rolled out from production lines which are operated by Hon Hai's subsidiary in Yantai of Shandong province. According to Japanese media reports, the Yantai plant initially manufactured 5 Pepper robots in one hour in February, and now the hourly production capacity has risen to 10 units.
To boost production, Hon Hai is planning to raise the number of workers for Pepper manufacturing to 1,000 from the current 700, the reports said. The reports added that part of the Yantai production lines will be installed with automation equipment on hopes that hourly production will rise further to 15 units.
The Japanese media reports said that several enterprises in Japan have been or are planning to use Pepper in their operations. Among them, Nestle Japan is using Pepper to sell its coffee machines, the reports added.
Hon Hai, also known abroad as Foxconn Technology Group (富士康), is gearing up to develop its own robot manufacturing business. In mid-June, Hon Hai, Softbank and China's largest e-commerce operator Alibaba Group Holding Ltd. (阿里巴巴) announced they would join forces to develop robots.
Through the team-up, Hon Hai and Alibaba have spent 14.5 billion Japanese yen (US$120 million) each to hold a combined 40 percent stake in Softbank's subsidiary SoftBank Robotics Holdings, while the Japanese firm holds the remaining 60 percent stake.
