Pepper
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Why every robot needs a spiffy hat
Tomorrow's robotic workforce will be just like us, putting their robo-pants on one leg at a time.
SoftBank reportedly stopped the production of its Pepper robots last year
We may have to say farewell to SoftBank's adorable humanoid robot Pepper.
Pepper the robot can politely suggest you wear a damn mask
Pepper the humanoid robot can now scan face to tell whether or not people are wearing masks.
Spot and Pepper robots will perform at spectatorless baseball games in Japan
SoftBank, however, is taking things a step further in an effort to make its Japanese baseball team’s games a lot livelier.
Pepper's new job is performing Buddhist funeral ceremonies
Pepper the robot has seen a variety of gainful employment in its relatively short life. It's worked in a mobile phone store, a Pizza Hut and a French train station, but now it seems it's jacking in the corporate world for more spiritual pursuits: Buddhist funerals. At the happily-titled Life Ending Industry Expo in Tokyo, Aldebaran's humanoid 'bot could be found clothed in religious robes and chanting sutras in a computerized voice while tapping a drum.
The Future IRL: Everyone gets an R2D2
If you've spent any time on Kickstarter, you've already seen those questionable rolling trashcan bots mixed among promising pieces of tech. You might even start thinking truly useful home-based robots have arrived. And, hey, it's about time! The first domestic robots started cropping up in the '80s. But, while the Hero-1 might have inspired a generation of roboticists, public perception of robots in the home hasn't changed much since the Reagan era. Now a whole slew of bots, like Jibo, Pepper and Kuri are trying to worm their way into our hearts. Nearly all have the ability to broadcast what their on-board camera sees to a companion app. Some can even be programmed to map rooms, execute commands when they 'see' certain actions or people, and even complete sentry patrols. If you've been waiting for your very own R2D2, reality may finally be catching up with your dreams. Don't miss the next episode of Future IRL on February 21st, when we'll be looking at the future of home delivery.
ICYMI: Robots want us to rely on them for daily tasks
try{document.getElementById("aol-cms-player-2").style.display="none";}catch(e){}Today on In Case You Missed It: The latest servant robot to join the Pepper and Buddy crew is Big-I, a Kickstarter bot that uses 3D vision, motion tracking and facial recognition to help out the humans in their household. We say it looks like a rolling trashcan with a disturbingly large eye, but for those looking for an IoT hub that's more mobile than Alexa, it could certainly work.
Adorable robots help travellers at Tokyo's Haneda airport
Getting lost in an international airport is never fun -- but if you're lost in Japan's Haneda this month, you'll at least be able get help from an adorable talking robot. From now until the 14th, Hitachi is testing its EMIEW3 humanoid robot in the airport's passenger terminal. Over the course of two weeks, EMIEW3 will direct visitors to an information display and answer questions in both English and Japanese.
Pepper the robot is ready to greet the great American public
Pepper's resume is already packed with an impressive list of multinationals in both Japan and Asia, but now the robot is ready to meet and greet in English, specifically in San Francisco, where it'll be working inside tech retailer b8ta's flagship store. It'll only be there a week, so it's best to think of it as a kind of overseas work experience for the wee robot. The internship starts August 11th, and will involve Pepper greeting and guiding customers, presumably alongside awkward banter and robotic arm flourishes. The tech store says there will be special events and prize giveaways during the robot's stay, with a special developers' workshop for robot programmers of the future. That kicks off on the evening of August 16th. Hit up the store's Facebook page for all the details -- and see how the robot fared when we first met it on US soil after the break.
ASUS' Zenbo robot walks, talks and controls your home
ASUS chairman Jonney Shih took to the stage at Computex today to announce something a little different, if completely on trend: a home robot. "Our ambition is to enable robotic computing for every household," he said before revealing Zenbo the home robot. With the goals of "assistance, entertainment and companionship," it's aimed at older people in particular. However, the most interesting feature here is the promise that the robot will connect with traditional and smart home devices. You'll be able to check who's at the door from a connected camera, and then remote-unlock the door from the robot's, er, face. Zenbo will also be able to connect to lights, TVs and air conditioners -- if it speaks your langauge, that is.
ICYMI: 'Pepper'-oni pizzas, 'Vibranium' hyperloops and more
Today on In Case You Missed It: Softbank's domestic robot, Pepper, got a job at Pizza Hut welcoming visitors and taking orders. The Hyperloop company developed a metal that's ten times stronger than steel but five times lighter than aluminum -- of course they're calling it Vibranium, Adamantium is so passe. And CorridorDigital created the most realistic TIE vs Millenium Falcon dogfight to date!
Pepper the robot gets a job at Pizza Hut
SoftBank's Pepper robot has been gainfully employed in the past, but it's apparently ready for a new career in the food industry. Pizza Hut Asia is partnering with MasterCard on a trial that will use Pepper for orders and information in restaurants by the end of 2016. Once you pair your MasterPass account, you can do everything from paying for your meal to asking about the calorie count. It's not necessarily as quick as ordering directly from your phone, but a demo (below) suggests that it's fairly painless -- it's easy to see the humanoid helper taking some of the load off of Pizza Hut's staff. Let's just hope that it fares well in less-than-ideal conditions.
Pepper the robot is opening up to Android
SoftBank's Pepper robot is about to get a lot more developer-friendly. The Japanese firm announced today that it'll be opening up Pepper's tablet to Google's mobile OS, in the hopes of spurring on its capabilities with new apps, Bloomberg reports. SoftBank CEO Masayoshi Son initially wanted to keep Pepper's entire platform closed, and it took a loss on every $1,800 robot it sold to drive its cost down. Unfortunately, despite selling around 10,000 units, developers have been slow to bite.
Hitachi's answer to Pepper the robot is swifter and sturdier
Look out, Pepper: you have some fresh competition. Hitachi has unveiled EMIEW3, its first humanoid assistant robot built for full-fledged commercial service. Like its SoftBank-made counterpart, it's designed to help you find your way around stores and public facilities. It's particularly focused on tourists, as it can switch languages on the fly. However, its edge may simply be its ability to cope with real-world situations. It's much faster than Pepper (3.7MPH versus 1.2MPH), so it's more likely to keep up with humans; it can also get back up if it falls down, and listen to you in noisy street environments.
The robot revolution starts with data entry and small talk
Pepper the home robot is looking for work. According to SoftBank, the Japanese company behind the humanoid bot that looks like a friendlier version of an anime villain, this is the year that robots start working for us. That said, businesses are keeping tasks simple. Easy, uncomplicated, dull, simple. So far Pepper has made its way into 500 companies. This week I toured Pepper's early career options.
Pepper the robot is going to staff an entire phone store
Kicking off an event that showcases Softbank's Pepper robot working in a business environment, the Japanese phone carrier says it's going to test it out for itself, announcing a Pepper phone shop staffed entirely by its robots. According to the company, you'll be able to sign up to a phone contract with the robot. (In fact, that's apparently the robot on the left's role; in the middle is the store manager and on the right is "time killer" Pepper.) That sounds both incredible and hugely suspicious, but I'll have to wait until the end of March to check it out for myself.
Pepper the robot's latest job is in a train station
When it's not vaguely talking up Nescafe coffee or or telling you about a Japanese phone carrier's excellent data packages, Pepper the robot is in France, working at a train station. Starting this month in three stations, Aldebaran's humanoid 'bot will welcome guests both departing and arriving, offering train timetable information, as well as local tourist information. Three of the wide-eyed automatons will help staff French train stations for three months, ending mid-March 2016 when the French National Railway Company (SNCF) will decide whether to install Peppers in other regional stations. The robot will even (attempt to) collect those customer satisfaction surveys that we all loathe. But when it's administered by a robot, perhaps we'd be more likely to respond.[Image credit: Wikipedia, Quoique]
Pepper robots are getting fashionable makeovers
Pepper, Softbank's adorable emotion-sensing robot, is rapidly becoming the victim of its own cuteness after owners began dressing it up in wacky costumes. The Wall Street Journal has found that buyers of the device got together to form an intricate craft circle, making outfits for the device that won't interfere with its sensors. Head on over to Rierie and you'll find a wide variety of dresses, t-shirts and wigs that'll turn the appliance into a cross between a surrogate child and a cat you put in suits for Halloween. Interestingly, users can also buy makeup stickers and earrings to make the androgynous robot appear more masculine or feminine than when sold. It's become enough of a phenomenon that the store accepts global orders, so if you're looking for an attractive kimono for your droid, it'll cost you 20,000 yen ($163).
The Alpha 2 robot will dance its way into your house and your heart
The field of human-like household robots got a little more crowded today as Ubtech Robotics launched a crowdfunding campaign for its new Alpha 2 humanoid companion-bot. This diminutive domestic drone is designed on the same premise as today's smartphones -- that is, it offers a responsive, intuitive and attractive platform on which to build intelligent and useful functionality. As such, the Alpha 2 is fully programmable, operates on an open-source OS and offers cutting-edge sensory inputs including ultrasonic, touch and pressure sensors. And unlike Pepper and Buddy, Alpha 2 actually has legs. In fact, with more than 20 servos packed into its joints, this robot is surprisingly spry.
Pepper the companion robot has a lot of growing up to do
The robot revolution is coming. But instead of death machines dragging us off to work in their plutonium mines, we'll get helpful little friends like Pepper from SoftBank and Aldebaran. The little bot was built to be a friendly and helpful companion in stores and homes. It reacts to your emotions, offers hugs and high-fives and answers at least some of your questions. In fact, the demand for Pepper is so high that the first 1,000 units available in Japan sold out in a minute. But after sitting down with it for a quick interview, it's apparent that you shouldn't fire up the credit card for a domestic android just yet. While it's programmed to be charming and witty, there are still some bugs that need to be worked out. Right now, talking to Pepper is a little like talking to a two-year-old that's been handed four Red Bulls and a box of chocolate.
