Pepper robot to work in Belgian hospitals - BBC News

Pepper, the humanoid robot programmed to "understand" human emotions, is to take a new job - as a receptionist in two Belgian hospitals. It will be the robot's first foray into healthcare after previous deployments in shopping centres, banks and train stations. Some experts have questioned the usefulness of social robots such as Pepper. Softbank, the company behind Pepper, and partner French robotics firm Aldebaran have seen huge success with the creation, with each batch of 1,000 selling out fast in Japan. The hospital-based robots will be significantly more expensive than the 1,850 basic model with a 34,000 ( 24,000) price tag.