Aldebaran Robotics has invented robots known as Pepper that can read people's emotions. As Japan's SoftBank sold these robots like pancakes, Mitsuru Numata had the idea of dressing them up to look more like humans.
Pepper is a fast-selling humanoid robot made by French Robotics Company known as Aldebaran endorsed by SoftBank of Japan. These robots went on sale in Japan last summer and keep selling out every time a new batch of Pepper robots is released in stores.
As the robots are becoming popular, a 59-year-old man from Japan had the idea of customizing these adored robots by dressing them up. Presently, the robots have cute outfits available as well as wigs and accessories that make them look humanly.
With the customization idea brought in by Mitsuru Numata, fanatics of the Pepper robot are starting to design wigs, hats and clothing like kimonos and Santa outfits for their robots. Numata stated that it is not about the money but for the joy of customizing their Pepper robots. As far as clothing line goes, he launched an online store with the help of his friend Reiko Kawauchi known as the Rierie Shop, which is the first online retail store for robots.
Numata works for an IT company known as ResearchGate and works with Kawauchi in terms of managing the Rierie online shop for robots. They are both part of an online group of Pepper fanatics.
Unlike Western robots that help on assembly lines, Pepper is a robot companion specifically designed to live and interact alongside humans. Apparently, the Aldebaran robot is deemed to be too polite for the Western society as its attitude may have a sarcastic twist for American citizens. Earlier this summer in Japan, a drunk man was caught assaulting a Pepper robot in a mobile phone store owned by SoftBank and got arrested.
Aldebaran's robot debuted earlier in France and should be making its way soon to North America. The robot remains to be seen if the Westerners will be dressing them up like G.I. Joes, or assault them in any way as their owners intend to.
