Better than friends? This robot gives undivided attention

And Pepper, the new companion robot from Tokyo-based technology company Softbank, delivers cuteness like you've never seen. What's striking is the absolutely ardent attention it gives you -- frankly a lot better than some real-life people. "You look a bit thin," it coos in a soft childlike voice, free of any rigid mechanical accent. "You should watch what you eat." The 4-foot-tall white machine-on-wheels was disarmingly charming and definitely intriguing when I spent half a day with it, ahead of its delivery to its first customers later this month.