SoftBank, Alibaba and Foxconn Technology has recently announced an agreement to each invest JPY14.5 billion(US$246 million) in SoftBank Robotics in exchange for a 20% stake in the company. SoftBank has started selling its Pepper robot which is manufactured by Foxconn last month. The household robot can recognize human emotions and react with simulations of anger, joy and irritations,.
All three companies aim to build a structure to bring Pepper and other robotics businesses to global markets, and cooperate with the aim of spreading and developing the robotics industry on a worldwide scale.
Masayoshi Son, Chairman & CEO of SoftBank
I am very excited that we will partner with Alibaba and Foxconn, and challenge to go global with our robotics business, including Pepper, as a first step to realize our vision. To bring more smiles to people around the world, we will aim to be the No.1 robotics company.
Jack Ma, Alibaba Group Founder and Executive Chairman
As we enter the data technology era, robotics will become a critical field that catalyzes technological breakthroughs in numerous sectors such as healthcare, public services, research and at home. Our partnership with SoftBank and Foxconn combines the best hardware and software talent in the industry to pave the way for robotics research and development. We are delighted to play an active role in the emerging field of robotics, that with cutting-edge technology and transformative products and services, can positively impact millions of lives.
