Ever heard of Pepper? Referred to in marketing promos as an “emotional android” and resembling something akin to a hard white plastic version of E.T., it will make eye contact, ask questions, and even move its arms while it speaks. When released in Japan last June, the initial 1,000 unit lot of the $1,600 robot sold out in less than a minute.

In preparing our cover story this month, which begins on pg. 34, we asked several leading industry minds whether they see disruption coming from inside or outside the industry. How they responded was tied to where they think innovation will come from.