Japan-based telecommunications company SoftBank Mobile is making purchasers of “emotional robot” Pepper sign a contract stipulating that they won’t commit any lewd acts with the robot.
The ownership contract states that using the robot for “the purpose of sexual or indecent behavior” breaks the rental agreement, The Daily Mail reports. This includes “having sex” with it, reprogramming it to stalk people and developing “any sexy, obscene, or violent apps or actions for Pepper.”
The first batch of Peppers sold out when one thousand people pre-ordered it in June for 198,000 yen (approximately US$1,610). Ownership involves an additional US$380-a-month in rent.
Created by Aldebaran Robotics and SoftBank Mobile, Pepper is designed "to make people happy" by enhancing their lives through building relationships and having fun. The humanoid robot can hold discussions, read emotions and imitate human behaviour such as empathy and love.
Even though the four-foot-tall robot has the ability to mimic human emotions, it's creators are urging customers not to use the robot for “indecent” behaviour.
A programmer recently reprogrammed the robot to display breasts on the iPad slung on its chest "for the purposes of testing sexual harassment." Earlier this month, a man was arrested for allegedly kicking a Pepper unit in a SoftBank store.
Jenna Pitcher is a freelance journalist writing for IGN. You can follow her on Twitter.
