The latest batch of 1,000 “Pepper” robots developed by Japanese telecom giant Softbank Corp and Taiwan’s Hon Hai Precision Industry Co (鴻海精密) sold out in one minute after going on sale on Saturday morning, the Japanese company said.
Softbank unveiled the Pepper robot in the Japanese market on June 18 and the three previous batches all sold out within minutes.
The robot has been upgraded to memorize and store data on human responses by using cloud technology-based artificial intelligence applications, Softbank said.
It said it would release the fifth batch of Peppers, another 1,000, on Oct. 31.
Pepper robots are produced by Hon Hai’s subsidiary in Yantai, Shandong Province, China.
According to Japanese media reports, the Yantai plant initially manufactured five of the robots an hour in February, and now the hourly production capacity has risen to 10 units.
Hon Hai is planning to raise the number of workers at the Yantai factory from 700 to 1,000, the reports said, adding that part of the Yantai production lines are to be automated so that hourly production can be increased to 15 units.
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