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SoftBank Corp's human-like robot named “Pepper” is displayed at its branch, in Tokyo, in this June 6, 2014 file photo. Nestle SA will enlist a thousand humanoid robots to help sell its coffee makers at electronics stores across Japan, becoming the first corporate customer for the chatty, bug-eyed androids unveiled in June by tech conglomerate SoftBank Corp. The waist-high robot was touted by Japan's SoftBank as capable of learning and expressing human emotions, and of serving as a companion or guide in a country that faces chronic labour shortages. Nestle said on October 29, 2014 it would initially commission 20 of the robots, called Pepper, in December to interact with customers and promote its coffee machines. By the end of next year, the maker of Nescafe coffee and KitKat chocolate bars plans to have the robots working at 1,000 stores. (Photo by Yuya Shino/Reuters)
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