Rather than making a robot which can drive, climb or run SoftBank has been building a robot that can 'feel'.
The result of this endeavor is Pepper, a robot which SoftBank says comes with the ability to read your emotions and respond in kind.
Having initially been targeted for the Asian market, the company has confirmed that Pepper will be going on sale in the US for less that $2000.
Speaking to Bloomberg, Masayoshi Son, the billionaire chairman of SoftBank said that he got the idea for Pepper after watching the cartoon series 'Astro Boy' in which a boy robot was unable to show emotions.
Son hopes that the robot will be used for both consumer and commercial uses either in shop fronts or as a companion for the elderly.
Pepper has 12 hours of battery life and uses a range of different sensors and cameras to detect the emotion of a person in front of it by analysing their facial expression.
It can then respond with an appropriate response, whether it's dancing, playing music or giving them a hug.