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▼ Sony to Relaunch Robot Business
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TOKYO (Jiji Press) — Sony Corp. has said that it will restart its robot business following a 10-year hiatus after the nation’s electronics maker ended the production of AIBO dog-like robots in 2006.
The company already works on product planning and development of business models at a new section formed in April.
It also plans to establish a ¥10-billion fund next month to invest in startups engaging in advanced research and development involving robots and artificial intelligence.
“The robots we are developing can have emotional bonds with customers, giving them joy and becoming the objects of love,” Sony President and Chief Executive Officer Kazuo Hirai said at a meeting in Tokyo. He added that the company aims to promote robot use in the manufacturing and logistics fields in the future.
Sony launched the AIBO robot series in 1999, but ended production in 2006 as the company’s earnings slumped.
Sony’s decision to try the robot business again comes as the company got back on a growth path thanks to brisk video game operations.
The company kept its target of boosting group operating profit to ¥500 billion or more in the fiscal year through March 2018 from 294.2 billion posted two years before.
The company already works on product planning and development of business models at a new section formed in April.
It also plans to establish a ¥10-billion fund next month to invest in startups engaging in advanced research and development involving robots and artificial intelligence.
“The robots we are developing can have emotional bonds with customers, giving them joy and becoming the objects of love,” Sony President and Chief Executive Officer Kazuo Hirai said at a meeting in Tokyo. He added that the company aims to promote robot use in the manufacturing and logistics fields in the future.
Sony launched the AIBO robot series in 1999, but ended production in 2006 as the company’s earnings slumped.
Sony’s decision to try the robot business again comes as the company got back on a growth path thanks to brisk video game operations.
The company kept its target of boosting group operating profit to ¥500 billion or more in the fiscal year through March 2018 from 294.2 billion posted two years before.
- July 1, 2016
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