Pepper, a humanoid robot, will make first appearance in U.S. businesses this year
BARCELONA -- Pepper the robot is coming to America later this year, first for businesses and later for consumers.
After its debut in July 2014, there are now more than 10,000 Pepper robots in use in other countries, primarily Japan. Some are helping passengers find the right train platform at stations in France, and some greet shoppers at supermarkets in both France and Spain.
A fuller expansion in Europe is planned for 2016, as well as the U.S. introduction, according to officials at the robot's inventor, Aldebaran, based in Paris. Aldebaran is a subsidiary of Softbank Group of Japan. In that country, Softbank has placed Pepper robots inside Softbank Mobile phone stores to greet and assist customers.
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