TAIPEI, Taiwan — The latest batch of “Pepper” robots developed by Japanese telecom giant Softbank Corp and Taiwan’s Hon Hai Precision Industry Co. are going to be enlightened by IBM Watson. The joint venture named Soft Bank Robotics Holdings Corp. (SBRH) announced on Wednesday, SoftBank has a 60-percent stake, while Alibaba and Taiwan-based Hon Hai will each spend 14.5 billion yen for 20-percent stakes of SBRH.
By introducing IBM Watson into Pepper, the robot will be advanced and more smart. Most important of all, it enables cognitive computing feature aimed at global enterprise customers.
IBM and SBRH will tap into data and knowledge across the “Internet of Things” to enable Watson-powered Pepper to make sense of the hidden meaning in data that traditional computers cannot comprehend—including social media, video, images and text. IBM Watson is the first open cognitive computing technology platform and represents a new era in computing where systems understand the world in the way that humans do: through senses, learning, and experience.
The Watson-powered Pepper robot under development would be equipped with core functionalities as well as a Watson software development kit (SDK) that allows developers and clients to tailor the interaction experience. IBM will give clients access to Watson APIs and various pre-packaged applications designed to address a variety of personal and professional needs.
