Standing at a little over a foot tall and capable of recognising human emotions, personal robot Pepper is already proving a success in Japan.

Within a minute of going on sale at the weekend, the first 1,000 units of the humanoid had been ordered.

SoftBank Robotics said that orders are no longer being taken and it would announce additional sales in July.

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Standing at a little over a foot tall and capable of recognising human emotions, personal robot Pepper (pictured) is proving a success in Japan. Within a minute of going on sale at the weekend, the first 1,000 units of humanoid had been ordered. SoftBank Robotics said that orders are no longer being taken

Pepper is made by French firm Aldebaran Robotics, a subsidiary of the mobile carrier Softbank.

In December, Nescafe hired 1,000 Pepper robots to work across home appliance stores in Japan, where they help customers looking for a Nespresso coffee machine.

Pepper robots are also used in Softbank stores as shop assistants.

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Equipped with the latest voice and emotion recognition technology, Pepper is able to read people's facial expressions and listen to their tone of voice to analyse how they're feeling.

'Pepper will be able to explain Nescafé products and services and engage in conversation with consumers, ' said Kohzoh Takaoka, president and chief executive of Nestlé Japan at the time.

'I hope that this new consumer engagement model will expand across the world as an example of Japanese innovation.

'The dream to create an advanced consumer experience with Pepper is now coming true.

The Aldebaran robots retail from 198,000 yen (£1,107 or $1,600) and can understand 80 per cent of conversations.

They also have the ability to learn from conversations.

Aldebran additionally makes Neo which has two cameras mounted to its head, that act as eyes, as well as four directional microphones to act as its ears.

The 1ft 11in (58cm) bot also has touch sensors, can speak 19 languages and is able to read and respond to emotions, by analysing facial expressions.

This analysis is made using embedded software called NAOqi.

Pepper is made by French firm Aldebaran Robotics, a subsidiary of the mobile carrier Softbank. In December, Nescafe hired 1,000 Pepper robots (pictured) to work across home appliance stores in Japan, where they help customers looking for a Nespresso coffee machine

Aldebran additionally makes Neo (pictured). It was recently hired to work at branches of Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group on a trial basis. It has two cameras on its head, that act as eyes, as well as four directional microphones. The 1ft 11in (58cm) bot also has touch sensors, can speak 19 languages and reads emotions

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Nao was recently hired at branches of Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group, on a trial basis.

During a presentation in Tokyo in April, Nao welcomed customers to the bank, and asked which service they required.

Aldebaran has produced more than 5,000 of its Nao humanoid, and it is primarily used for research and educational purposes.

And if the trial is successful, the robotic employees will be rolled out to more branches of the Japanese bank by 2020.

Robotic companions are hugely popular in Japan but have failed to become commercial successes elsewhere.

Japanese electronics and entertainment company Sony discontinued the Aibo pet-dog robot in 2006, despite an outcry from its fans.

At that time, Sony had developed a child-shaped entertainment robot similar to Pepper but much smaller, capable of dances and other charming moves.

However, it never became a commercial product.

Honda has developed the walking, talking Asimo robot, but that is too sophisticated and expensive for home use, and appears in Honda showrooms and at gala events only.

The technology may have piqued people's interest lately because of shows such as Channel 4's Humans.

Set in a parallel present, the must-have gadget is known as a 'Synth' - a highly-developed robotic humanoid servant.

The series looks at how a Synth called Anita integrates with the Hawkins family.

However, in the most recent episode, the mother of the family begins to feel threatened and Anita's presence causes tensions.

The technology may have piqued people's interest lately because of shows such as Channel 4's Humans. Set in a parallel present, the must-have gadget is known as a 'Synth' - a highly-developed humanoid servant. The series looks at how Synth Anita (played by Gemma Chan pictured) integrates with the Hawkins family