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SoftBank
Making Pepper walk: Understanding Softbank’s purchase of Boston Dynamics
Oliver Mitchell
12 Jun 2017
It is unclear if Masayoshi Son, Chairman of Softbank, was one of the 17 million YouTube viewers of Boston Dynamic’s Big Dog before acquiring the company for an undisclosed amount this past Thursday...
Finally! Google sells Boston Dynamics to SoftBank
Frank Tobe
09 Jun 2017
In a long-awaited transaction, The New York Times Dealbook announced that SoftBank was buying Boston Dynamics from Alphabet (Google). Also included in the deal is the Japanese startup Schaft. Acquisit...
SoftBank invests $5 billion into Didi Chuxing and $4 billion more in Nvidia
Frank Tobe
24 May 2017
SoftBank, the giant telecom company, is venturing out into the world of robotics and transportation services. DealStreet Asia said that SoftBank is trying to transform itself into the 'Berkshire Hatha...
A Pepper-warm reception at Decos
Thosha Moodley
18 Jan 2017
Like some angular alien architecture, Decos' futuristic development lab appears freshly landed in a martian lanscape. Underneath the sharp geometry and vectors, inside, the highly innovative company...
Zymergen gets $130 million from SoftBank and other VCs
Frank Tobe
12 Oct 2016
SoftBank, the Japanese telecom conglomerate, led a group that included Iconiq Capital, Prelude Ventures, Tao Capital Partners, and seven others in a $130 million funding round for Zymergen to help ...
SoftBank jumpstarts IoT by buying ARM for $32 billion
Frank Tobe
19 Jul 2016
The announcement that SoftBank will spend $32 billion to acquire ARM Holdings means the Japanese firm is buying the most important company in the world of mobile processors for smartphone and Intern...
How is Pepper, SoftBank’s emotional robot, doing?
Frank Tobe
30 May 2016
Pepper is a child-height human-shaped robot described as having been designed to be a genuine companion that perceives and acts upon a range of human emotions.
SoftBank, the Japanese telecom gia...
Foxconn shopping for robot manufacturer to keep pace with brisk Pepper sales
Frank Tobe
05 Jan 2016
In an article about the pace of sales for the SoftBank Pepper robot, the China Post reported that Taiwan-based Hon Hai Precision (AKA Foxconn) has sent a team of 30 to survey the US market for futu...
1,000 workers produce latest batch of 1,000 Pepper robots
Frank Tobe
12 Nov 2015
The latest batch of 1,000 Japanese-speaking Pepper robots sold out in one minute after they were made available online by Japanese telecom company SoftBank. This brings the total Pepper robots sold ...
Telcos vs. big data companies: Which sector will drive consumer robotics?
Hallie Siegel and Robohub Editors
30 Jul 2015
NTT’s recent entry into consumer robotics suggests that it’s not just about Google vs Amazon, or Softbank vs NTT anymore, but about telcos vs big data companies. With two major and distinct sector...
Softbank will take pre-orders for enterprise version of Pepper starting Oct 1
Hallie Siegel
30 Jul 2015
Developing Story: Softbank today announced that it will be taking preorders for the enterprise version of their Pepper robot, called "Pepper for Biz" starting October 1 this year. This comes one day a...
Japanese telcos vie for share in consumer robot-as-a-service business
Hallie Siegel
29 Jul 2015
View image | gettyimages.com
Yesterday a second Japanese telecommunication firm entered the consumer robot-as-a-service market when the state-owned Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corporation (NT...
Pepper robots to roll out at 1,000 per month
Frank Tobe
10 Jul 2015
SoftBank announced that their little Pepper robot will be available for sale beginning August 1st at the rate of 1,000 per month after selling out their first 1,000 Peppers in one online minute in Jun...
Foxconn and Alibaba invest in SoftBank Robotics as Pepper goes on sale in Japan
Frank Tobe
19 Jun 2015
In a strategic move sure to have long-term ramifications, Foxconn and Alibaba each invested $118 million for a combined 40% share of the new SoftBank Robotic Holdings Group, an entity which holds Alde...
Forget Google and unicorns, Asian dragons are going to dominate robotics
Andra Keay
19 Jun 2015
Yesterday SoftBank, FoxConn and Alibaba cemented a strong robotics initiative. Having acquired a majority stake in Aldebaran in 2012 (just after the Amazon acquisition of Kiva), SoftBank’s interest...
UPDATE Pepper delayed until summer; Aldebaran execs Maisonnier and Baillie leave
Frank Tobe
23 Feb 2015
UPDATED 2/23/15 Softbank announced a delay in sales of their Pepper robot from February until sometime during the summer. Aldebaran announced that CEO and Founder Bruno Maisonnier and Jean-Christop...
Bruno Maisonnier moves on from Aldebaran
Andra Keay
23 Feb 2015
Farewell and thank you to Bruno Maisonnier, the founder and CEO of Aldebaran Robotics, which is now 95% owned by Softbank. Softbank had previously acquired a majority stake in the ground breaking Fr...
SoftBank/Aldebaran Pepper robots go on sale in February
Frank Tobe
15 Jan 2015
IEEE/Spectrum Senior Editor Erico Guizzo describes in a recent post (and two videos) how Aldebaran's two-year Pepper project is coming to fruition....
Nestlé 1st big buyer of Softbank’s Pepper robot
Frank Tobe
03 Nov 2014
Earlier this year Softbank announced the launch of Pepper, a robot created specifically for SoftBank and the Japanese market. Last week Nestlé announced that it will use Pepper to sell its Nescafé ...
On Pepper, Aldebaran and emotional robotics: Interview with Bruno Maisonnier
Mark Stephen Meadows
24 Jun 2014
Bruno Maisonnier at TedExConcorde. Photo credit: Rodrigo SEPÚLVEDA SCHULZ.
Last week I dropped by Aldebaran’s studio to get a glimpse of Pepper in action, and was pretty excited about this robot. ...
SoftBank + Aldebaran = Pepper
Frank Tobe
06 Jun 2014
The latest creation from Aldebaran Robotics - Pepper - is designed to live with humans. It doesn’t clean or cook but it talks, is mobile, can read emotions, and reacts aut...
SoftBank’s humanoid robot Pepper knows how you’re feeling | ComputerWorld
Hallie Siegel
05 Jun 2014
Pepper is a cute, wisecracking personal robot designed to bring joy to everyone, and Japanese mobile carrier SoftBank wants people to start buying it next year for the price of a high-end PC.
Its...
