The "Father" of the Shiroto Family Joins In!? Press Conference on General Sales of "Pepper"

SoftBank Group held a press conference on June 18 at Maihama Amphitheater in Urayasu City, Chiba Prefecture, to announce the public sale of "Pepper," the world's first emotion-recognizing personal robot that has garnered significant attention.

CEO Masayoshi Son engaged in a witty exchange with Pepper on stage, highlighting its features and appeal, including its human-like personality achieved through AI and emotion mapping. He shared an anecdote about his childhood fascination with robots after watching the TV anime "Astro Boy," recounting his passion and the journey leading to Pepper's launch.

Next, Kanako Higuchi and Dante Carver from the Shiroto Family, who appear in the TV commercials, along with guests Koji Imada and Kyoko Uchida, took the stage. They experienced a story where Pepper arrives at their home. They showed expressions of surprise at Pepper's capabilities, which diverged from the typical robot image. Pepper demonstrated functions like expressing joy when happy or panicking when surprised, showing how its emotions develop through various stimuli as a member of the family.

Pepper's sales launch begins at 10:00 AM on June 20th. The base price is ¥198,000 (excluding tax), with an initial production run of 1,000 units. It was revealed that numerous companies have already expressed interest, and a business-oriented "Pepper for Biz" is under development. A part-time plan is also available, dispatching Pepper at an hourly rate of ¥1,500.

The event also announced strengthened global expansion plans for Pepper. Terry Gou, CEO of Foxconn Technology Group, and Jack Ma, Chairman of Alibaba Group, took the stage to deliver remarks as newly announced partners.