Meet 'Pepper': The Humanoid Robot that Reads Emotions (Video)

Robots may have garnered the reputation of being rather stoic, dry creatures, but rest assured, scientists have concocted a new humanoid that's bringing new emotion to computerized droids.

Meet "Pepper," who's been described by his creators (who have dubbed him as a male individual) as "The World's First Personal Robot That Reads Emotions." And thank Japan-based SoftBank Mobile Corporation and its French subsidiary Aldebaran Robotics SAS, a manufacturer of humanoid robotics, for his creation.

The robot will be available for sale in Japan from SoftBank Mobile in February 2015. At just 4 feet, 63-pounds, Pepper boasts two bright eyes with outstretched arms on a single leg. The robot's battery can last up to 12 hours on a single charge, according to Venture Beat--much longer than a robot sporting two legs.

Though Pepper's price is not yet completely determined, anticipated retail costs estimate that he will be around $1,900. However, as for whether the robot will be sold outside of Japan is still to be determined.

Now, let's get emotional. Quite simply put, Pepper carries the capability to make people happy. Combined with cutting edge voice recognition technology, the robot recognizes and analyzes expressions and voice tones to prepare a natural and helpful response for the owner and friends.

"We have followed our corporate philosophy of Information Revolution - Happiness For Everyone. To realize our vision, we have made a new entry into the robot business with the aim of developing affectionate robots that make people smile," says Masayoshi Son, Chairman and CEO of SoftBank.

To add to that, Pepper can also joke and dance.

"The emotional robot will create a new dimension in our lives and new ways of interacting with technology," says Bruno Maisonnier, founder and CEO of Aldebaran.

Want to learn more about Pepper? Check out this video, courtesy of YouTube.