Softbank Corp is set to start sales of its Pepper robot to consumers tomorrow in a bid to spur adoption.
The humanoid robot is priced at ¥198,000 (US$1,615), Softbank said in Tokyo yesterday.
The company also plans to offer a service plan for ¥14,800 per month, which gives users access to cloud-based voice recognition and an app store.
Featuring more than 20 motors and highly articulated arms, Pepper is capable of human-like body language.
Its shoulders heave when in standby mode, imitating sleep.
However, it is not designed for menial tasks. Instead, Softbank founder Masayoshi Son is betting the robot’s friendly physical appearance will spur adoption of cloud services and attract app developers.
“Of course there is a need for mechanical robots that are strong and can perform physical work,” Son said at a news conference yesterday. “We think there is value in a robot that can understand human feelings.”
Since the robot’s unveiling a year ago, Softbank has made improvements to what Son calls Pepper’s emotion engine. The robot maintains a map of emotional responses ranging from excitement to fear and uses external inputs such as lighting levels and interaction with people to adjust its state.
Pepper was developed by Softbank subsidiary Aldebaran Robotics SA. The 1.2m tall humanoid dances, makes jokes and estimates human emotions based on expressions. The robot, unveiled in June last year, was initially targeted at families and the elderly before getting attention for business use.
The robot is to be available for purchase by businesses beginning in autumn with business-focused apps for Pepper to be announced next month, Son said.
Pepper can also be hired part-time for ¥1,500 an hour, the billionaire Softbank chairman said.
Mizuho Financial Group Inc said in March it would use the robot in some stores starting next month and could roll it out to all branches across Japan.
The robot went on sale to developers, in a limited edition of 300 units in February. Softbank said it has now built 1,000 units for sale starting this month.
Pepper is to be promoted worldwide by a separate venture, Softbank Robotics Holdings, the Tokyo-based company said.
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