SMASH HIT: People looking at humanoid robot 'Pepper' at a SoftBank showroom in Tokyo, who proved popular with visitors.
TOKYO: A chatty humanoid robot whose makers claim it can understand people's emotions made its first friends Friday as it struck up conversations with shoppers in Tokyo.
And the device — named Pepper by its designers — proved an effective marketing tool for mobile carrier SoftBank, delighting managers who put it to work collecting customer opinions.
