Sony to Develop a Robot That Can Connect Emotionally
With People
Japanese tech giant Sony announced on Wednesday that it was
working on developing a robot which can connect emotionally with people, and
expects to launch it soon.
This will mark Sony's return to the market of artificial intelligence (AI), robots for homes, an area the company pioneered in 1999
when it launched its robotic dog Aibo, which it stopped manufacturing in 2006,
EFE news reported.
At a press conference on Wednesday, where the company unveiled
its strategy for 2017, Sony President Kazuo Hirai said they want to make robots
capable of winning people's affection.
Sony is looking to combine its strengths in audiovisual
technologies and home entertainment with the latest advances in robotics and
AI, to introduce a new business model that will offer new experiences to users,
he added.
Last month, Sony acquired a stake in the US startup Cogitai,
which specialises in creating continual AI learning programmes.
Hirai also said the launch date for Sony's new home robot -
which will be directly in competition with Softbank's android robot
"Pepper", launched in June 2015 - has not been decided yet.
He set an operating profits target of over $4 billion for the
next fiscal and said the company is optimistic about continuing to grow owing
to its entertainment and electronics divisions.
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