Asimo, Aibo, and Now Pepper
Yes, Asimo from Honda, Aibo from Sony and now Pepper from Softrbank- Japan leads the world in robotics, there's no doubt about that, is there? Much as the desk wants to boast of Asimo, today's episode has to do with the latest arrival - Pepper from Softbank.
On September 6, a jobless loiterer was arrested on charge kicking a man-like "object" at a roadside store. The store happened to be a Softbank Shop in Kanagawa and the object a new-born humanoid robot "Pepper". Well, the man hurt his toe kicking Pepper and Pepper had his leg damaged somewhat. He was a drunkard and admitted kicking Pepper because he " didn't like the attitude " of the clerk.
Back in June, in Urayasu, Chiba, when Pepper was first put to market the first batch of 6,000 were sold out in one minute. Quite a sensation it was.
On July 1, Governor Shinji HIrai of Tottori Prefecture appointed a Pepper, effective July 1, head of PR Department to work at Tottori's antenna shop in Tokyo till July 2 as a salesperson to promote the prefecture's products and sightseeing spots.
On July 30, Softbank announced a rental plan for Pepper to work for a monthly salary of 56,000 yen. Softbank will accept applications starting October 1. Pepper's employment contact is for a period of 3 years for 1.98 million yen.
Pepper is a humanoid robot designed to read emotions. Pepper's emotion comes from its ability to analyze expressions and the tone of voice.
Pepper had four microphones in his head, two cameras in his mouth and forehead, and a 3-D sensor right behind his eyes.
President Masayoshi Son boated in a lecture in Tokyo: "Pepper welcomes overtime and works full time around the clock. No complaint, always on time". Peppers for business use are mounted with extra functions useful for business.
