The store I went to is one of SoftBank’s flagships, a large space situated just up the street from Apple’s new Omotesando location. Pepper has taken over an entire end of the shop, with two robots occupying an expansive floor space decked out in signs proclaiming things like "This is not science fiction." People are still lining up to see Pepper for themselves — it’s very much a demonstration right now, rather than putting the robot to actual work.

Pepper's movement is strikingly lifelike and expressive

Pepper's diminutive size and glossy plastic make it more reminiscent of a household appliance than a threatening Cylon or Cyberman. The hardware strikes an attractive balance between recognizably humanlike and reassuringly utilitarian, with no hint of the Uncanny Valley. Son cited Osamu Tezuka’s manga superhero Astro Boy as an influence, and indeed Pepper comes across as a distinctly Japanese design. The strangest thing about it is the 10.1-inch tablet screen grafted to its chest; this is a robot you could leave in the corner of a bedroom without scaring too many kids.

But Pepper’s movements are strikingly lifelike and expressive. It tracks you with its eyes, looks up to you as you tower over it, and moves its arms in a realistic manner in time with its utterances. It doesn’t feel like something you could put in your house for under $2,000 — I kept having to remind myself that the robot cost little more than the camera I was holding. Objectively, on this level, it’s hard not to be impressed with Pepper.

Subjectively, though, it’s another story.