機械人開始銷售, 首先出售給軟件開發商

A few weeks ago the NHK News on-line reported the following:

人型ロボット販売開始 まずはソフト開発者向け

2月27日 18時04分

大手通信会社のソフトバンクは、みずから開発した会話ができる人型ロボットの活用を広げようと、ソフト開発の専門家向けにロボットの販売を始めました。

この人型ロボットはカメラやマイクを備え、人の表情や声のトーンから感情を読み取り会話ができるほか、インターネットで人工知能につながっており、効率よく学習することもできるということです。
ソフトバンクではロボットの活用を広げるために、２７日、一般向けに先行してソフト開発の専門家向けに販売を始めました。インターネットと店舗で３００台限定で発売しましたが、受付開始直後にすべて売り切れたということです。
この会社ではロボットにダウンロードするアプリと呼ばれる専用のソフトを開発してもらい、ゲームなどの娯楽だけではなく、介護や接客などさまざまな機能を加えたいとしていて、６月以降に家庭など一般向けに売り出すことにしています。大阪のＩＴ企業の担当者は「学校など教育現場でロボットを活用できないか興味があるので、購入して可能性を探っていきたい」と話していました。
ソフトバンクロボティクスの林要室長は「自由にアプリを作ってもらうことでロボットの使い方に広がりが出るので、われわれの想像を超えるような機能が出てくることを期待したい」と話していました。

(試譯文)

SoftBank, a major communication company, wanted to expand the usage of humanoid robots developed by them which could do conversations; the robot sales towards software development specialists had begun.

This humanoid robot was equipped with a camera and a microphone. It performed conversation by reading the feeling from the tone of a person's expression and voice, and was connected to artificial intelligence by the Internet. It was said that it was possible for it to learn efficiently.

For SoftBank, in order to expand the usage of robots, on the 27^th (February) before opening them to the public had started sales aiming at software development specialists. There hundred robots limited sale was made at stores and in the Internet, and it was said that all were sold out just after the ordering was started.

The company asked for the development of exclusive software the so called Apps, and to download it into the robot. On top of entertainment and games, it was supposed that various functions such as nursing and reception could be added. After June, sales would be open to family homes etc. in general. Someone in charge of an IT enterprise in Osaka was saying that "I am interested in knowing whether schools can use a robot in the field of education, and would like to look into the possibility of buying one".

Kaname Hayashi the general manager of SoftBank Robotics was saying that "it is possible to freely create Apps; as the ways in using robots could be seen spreading, I am expecting different functions that exceed our imagination could come out".

   It seems that SoftBank is taking the lead in marketing their robots.