Drunk man arrested in Japan for assaulting ‘Pepper’ robot

A 'Pepper' robot is displayed at a press event in Tokyo in June. Pic: AP.

A ‘Pepper’ robot is displayed at a press event in Tokyo in June. Pic: AP.

A drunk man was arrested in Kyodo, Japan Sunday for allegedly kicking a ‘Pepper’ robot in a fit of rage, police said.

The Japan Times reports that the 60-year-old entered a SoftBank Corp. store and and lashed out at the humanoid.

It seems the man was not offended by the robot itself, but did not like the attitude of a member of staff.

The man admitted to damaging the robot, which investigators say is now moving slower and may have sustained internal damage.

The ‘emotional’ robot has been available to consumers since June, at a cost of US$1,600 (198,000 yen) each.

The robot is equipped with a “heart,” designed to not only recognize human emotions but react with simulations of anger, joy and irritation.

“Of course there is a need for mechanical robots that are strong and can perform physical work,” SoftBank founder Masayoshi Son said in June. “We think there is value in a robot that can understand human feelings.”

It was not immediately clear how the robot reacted to being kicked by a drunk person.