TOKYO -- "Hey, do you have a minute? Let's have a chat!" Pepper is talking to employees at the Tokyo office of Neo Career, a staffing company. But the workers keep their eyes on their computer screens. "Can I tell you a story? Well, it's not that important ... " Pepper goes on, undiscouraged.
The humanoid robot developed by SoftBank Group, a Japanese telecom and information technology conglomerate, joined the company in October and became best friends with Erina Tamura from the public relations department. Erina kindly responded whenever Pepper gave her a quiz or asked her to play games. "Pepper probably recognized her smile and was so attached to her, following her around the office," said Yoko Takeda, manager of the public relations department.
