Robohub.org

SoftBank


Making Pepper walk: Understanding Softbank’s purchase of Boston Dynamics

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...
12 June 2017, by

Finally! Google sells Boston Dynamics to SoftBank

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...
09 June 2017, by

SoftBank invests $5 billion into Didi Chuxing and $4 billion more in Nvidia

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...
24 May 2017, by

A Pepper-warm reception at Decos

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...
18 January 2017, by

Zymergen gets $130 million from SoftBank and other VCs

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 ...
12 October 2016, by

SoftBank jumpstarts IoT by buying ARM for $32 billion

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...
19 July 2016, by



How is Pepper, SoftBank’s emotional robot, doing?

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...
30 May 2016, by

Foxconn shopping for robot manufacturer to keep pace with brisk Pepper sales

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...
05 January 2016, by

1,000 workers produce latest batch of 1,000 Pepper robots

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 ...
12 November 2015, by

Telcos vs. big data companies: Which sector will drive consumer robotics?

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...
30 July 2015, by and

Softbank will take pre-orders for enterprise version of Pepper starting Oct 1

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...
30 July 2015, by

Japanese telcos vie for share in consumer robot-as-a-service business

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...
29 July 2015, by

Pepper robots to roll out at 1,000 per month

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...
10 July 2015, by

Foxconn and Alibaba invest in SoftBank Robotics as Pepper goes on sale in Japan

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...
19 June 2015, by

Forget Google and unicorns, Asian dragons are going to dominate robotics

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...
19 June 2015, by

UPDATE Pepper delayed until summer; Aldebaran execs Maisonnier and Baillie leave

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...
23 February 2015, by

Bruno Maisonnier moves on from Aldebaran

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...
23 February 2015, by

SoftBank/Aldebaran Pepper robots go on sale in February

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....
15 January 2015, by

Nestlé 1st big buyer of Softbank’s Pepper robot

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 ...
03 November 2014, by

On Pepper, Aldebaran and emotional robotics: Interview with Bruno Maisonnier

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. ...
24 June 2014, by

SoftBank + Aldebaran = Pepper

    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...
06 June 2014, by

SoftBank’s humanoid robot Pepper knows how you’re feeling | ComputerWorld

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...
05 June 2014, by







Robohub is supported by:




Would you like to learn how to tell impactful stories about your robot or AI system?


scicomm
training the next generation of science communicators in robotics & AI


©2024 - Association for the Understanding of Artificial Intelligence


 












©2021 - ROBOTS Association