Rather than just a one-off payment, prospective users will be asked for US$1,660 up front, followed by US$206 a month for the following three years. That monthly charge includes access to Softbank's cloud-based artificial intelligence which is accessed via its mobile network. The fee also covers insurance, so if the worst should happen and Pepper falls down the stairs, you won't be left crying over a broken robot. The network has also admitted that it's selling the devices at an overall loss, but hopes that Pepper will one day graduate from selling coffee to something with a better paycheck.