SoftBank Mobile and Aldebaran Unveil "Pepper" - the World's First Personal Robot That Reads Emotions
TOKYO and PARIS, June 5, 2014 /PRNewswire/ --
SoftBank Group companies SoftBank Mobile Corp. ("SoftBank Mobile"), Japan's leading
mobile operator, and Aldebaran Robotics SAS ("Aldebaran"), the world leader in humanoid
robotics, announced the joint development of "Pepper", the world's first personal robot
that can read emotions. Pepper, which incorporates variety of technologies and
capabilities, will be commercially available in Japan from SoftBank Mobile in February
2015 for a base price of JPY 198,000*.
From June 6, 2014, visitors to the SoftBank Omotesando and SoftBank Ginza stores will
be able to enjoy talking and interacting with Pepper, the newest member of the SoftBank
crew. SoftBank Mobile plans to subsequently station Pepper at more of its stores
nationwide.
A new robot and new businesses to emerge: robot apps
Pepper is a humanoid robot that takes his surroundings into consideration to react
pro-actively using proprietary algorithms. Pepper also comes equipped with capabilities
and an interface that enables communication with people, including the latest voice
recognition technology, superior joint technology to realize graceful gestures, and
emotion recognition that analyzes expressions and voice tones. With these technologies,
people can enjoy communicating with Pepper in a natural way, just like they would with
friends and family. In addition, Pepper can make jokes, dance and amuse people thanks to a
wide variety of entertainment capabilities, some of which were developed in cooperation
with Yoshimoto Robotics Laboratory, Inc., a Yoshimoto Kogyo Group company. Capabilities
that help Pepper evolve by learning through daily interactions with people are also being
planned for the commercial launch timing.
Furthermore, a variety of applications created by developers around the world, robot
apps (programs that can be incorporated into Pepper's various capabilities, including
motion, conversation and sensors) are scheduled for expanding Pepper's capabilities. The
Aldebaran software development kit (SDK) will be provided for creating robot apps, and in
September 2014, a Tech Festival in Tokyo is under planning to provide technical
specifications, development methods and other details.
A meeting of shared visions
At its Next-30 Year Vision announcement in 2010, the SoftBank Group expressed its
interest in robot technology as a means to enhance quality of life. With Aldebaran, it
found a company creating kind and emotional robots that can communicate with people and
meet their emotional needs. With both companies sharing a common vision, SoftBank made its
first equity investment in Aldebaran in 2012, subsequently making it a SoftBank Group
company.
Masayoshi Son, Chairman & CEO of SoftBank Corp., commented, "Since foundation, we have
followed our corporate philosophy of 'Information Revolution - Happiness for everyone.' To
realize our vision, we have made a new entry into the robot business with the aim of
developing affectionate robots that make people smile. Using emotion engines and Cloud AI,
which evolves with collective wisdom, we're making this happen. As our first entry, we are
pleased to offer the world's first personal robot that reads emotions, Pepper, which we
developed with Aldebaran."
"For the past nine years, I've believed that the most important role of robots will be
as kind and emotional companions to enhance our daily lives, to bring happiness,
constantly surprise us, and make people grow," said Bruno Maisonnier, Founder & CEO of
Aldebaran. "The emotional robot will create a new dimension in our lives and new ways of
interacting with technology. It's just the beginning, but already a promising reality.
Thanks to Pepper, the future begins today and we want all of you to be a part of it."
*Displayed price excludes tax. Optional plans necessary for life with Pepper are
scheduled.
Main features of Pepper (planned)
- Judges situations with an array of sensors, incorporates proprietary
algorithms to control applications autonomously
- Estimates emotions based on expressions and voice tones using emotion
recognition functions
- Over 12 continuous hours of battery life
- Articulates gracefully with a high degree of freedom thanks to proprietarily
developed joints
- Can acquire various types of information and synchronize with cloud-based
databases through an Internet connection
- Uses sensors to avoid collisions and has autobalance to prevent falls, among
other various safety features
- Capabilities are expandable by installing various new types of robot apps
- Aldebaran's software development kit (SDK) will be provided for a wide range
of applications, from simple movements to advanced customization using widely
available programming languages
Dimensions 1210mm (height) x 425mm (depth) x 485mm (width)
Weight 28kg
Lithium-ion battery
Capacity: 30.0Ah/795Wh
Operation time: approx. over 12hrs (when using at
Battery shop)
Mic x 4, RGB camera x 2, 3D sensor x 1
Sensors Head Touch sensor x 3
Chest Gyro sensor x 1
Hands Touch sensor x 2
Sonar sensor x 2, Laser sensor x 6,
Legs Bumper sensor x 3, Gyro sensor x 1
Degrees of motion
Head (2degree(s)), Shoulder (2degree(s)) (L&R), Elbow
(2 rotations) (L&R), Wrist (1degree(s)) (L&R), hand 5
fingers (1degree(s)) (L&R), Hip (2degree(s)), knee
(1degree(s)), base (3degree(s))
Moving parts 20 Motors
Display 10.1-inch touch display
Platform NAOqi OS
Wi-Fi: IEEE 802.11 a/b/g/n (2.4GHz/5GHz
Networking Ethernet x1 (10/100/1000 base T)
Motion speed Up to 3km/h
Climbing Up to 1.5cm
About Aldebaran Robotics SAS
Founded in 2005 by Bruno Maisonnier, and with offices in France, China, Japan and the
United States, Aldebaran designs, produces and sell autonomous humanoid robots in order to
contribute to the well-being of humans. Today over 5,000 NAO, our first product, are
utilized throughout the world as research and educational platforms in 70 countries.
Aldebaran brings together more than 500 people that are involved in the development and
production of the robot. Aldebaran is a SoftBank Group company, with SoftBank owning an
78.5% equity interest. For further information, visit http://www.aldebaran.com
The SoftBank Group comprises the pure holding company SoftBank Corp. (TSE:9984) and
its more than 1,300 subsidiaries and affiliates that offer a comprehensive range of mobile
communications, fixed-line communications and Internet services. With Sprint joining in
July 2013, the SoftBank Group became a leading global carrier that now has over 100
million subscribers. Maximizing synergies across its Group companies worldwide, SoftBank
aspires to realize lifestyle innovation through IT. The SoftBank Group is also encouraging
the adoption of clean and safe energy through its business activities. To learn more,
please visit http://www.softbank.jp/en/corp
- Aldebaran, Pepper name and logo, and NAOqi are registered trademarks of
Aldebaran Robotics SAS in France and other countries.
- SoftBank, the SoftBank name and logo are registered trademarks or trademarks
of SoftBank Corp. in Japan and other countries.
- Other names of companies, products and services that appear are trademarks or
registered trademarks of their respective companies.