日本電信營運商軟件銀行(SoftBank)在日前正式發(fā)表人形機器人 Pepper ，預(yù)定將在明年2月上市；這款機器人據(jù)說能“讀”出人類的情感，并與人類對話，而且售價不到2,000美元(日幣19萬8,000元)。 Pepper 機器人身高4英呎(約122公分)，腳下有輪子，胸部配備一臺10.1吋平板電腦，用以顯示所查詢的信息；軟銀表示，Pepper是透過云端的人工智能進(jìn)行控制。軟銀首席執(zhí)行官孫正義(Masayoshi Son)則強調(diào)，這款人形機器人的開發(fā)目標(biāo)是“賦予機器人一顆心”。 根據(jù)軟銀所提供的規(guī)格，Pepper的頭部配備四個麥克風(fēng)、一部攝影機以及一個3D深度傳感器；軀干部位裝置了陀螺儀，頭部與手部則有觸覺傳感器。可移動的基座配備兩個聲納裝置、四個雷射以及三個碰撞傳感器，一個陀螺儀；移動速度最高可達(dá)時速3公里。

軟件銀行(SoftBank)所開發(fā)的人形機器人Pepper正式亮相
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(點此連結(jié)開啟Pepper發(fā)表會現(xiàn)場實況錄像) 日本可說是個機器人大國，聞名世界的機器人包括漫畫卡通里的原子小金剛(Astro Boy)、ASIMO (車廠Honda開發(fā)的人形機器人)，以及Sony曾推出的機器狗Aibo (編按：別忘了村田制作所的“村田小妹”！)，再出個機器人一點也不令人驚訝，但實際上，Pepper是法國血統(tǒng)──軟銀持有大多數(shù)股份的法國業(yè)者Aldebaran為軟銀開發(fā)了Pepper，而臺灣業(yè)者鴻海(Foxconn)則會是它的代工廠。

Honda的機器人ASIMO
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很重要的一點是，Pepper并非服務(wù)型機器人，它不是來幫人類打掃房屋或是在花園除草，它是設(shè)計來講故事給小朋友聽、跟人們聊天，有點像是家庭寵物的角色，總之是娛樂用途的。但也因為如此，我實在不太明白Pepper打造成人形的原因；如果它不做那些我也不想做的事情，又為何要有一個機器人？我的意思是說，真的需要一個講話幽默機智的機器人？

Sony的機器狗Aibo
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更讓人不解的是，軟銀身為一家電信營運商、并非硬件廠商，怎么會對機器人有興趣？據(jù)了解，Pepper將開始在軟銀位于日本東京的部份手機門市與大眾見面，所以軟銀首席執(zhí)行官大張旗鼓地辦了Pepper發(fā)表會，其實只是為了吸引更多人光顧軟銀的商店？ 本文授權(quán)編譯自EE Times，版權(quán)所有，謝絕轉(zhuǎn)載 第2頁：軟銀能從Pepper獲得什么好處？ 第3頁：高齡化的社會需要娛樂型機器人

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{pagination} 軟銀能從Pepper獲得什么好處？ 也許是一部份原因，但這仍不足以解釋軟銀為何針對消費性市場發(fā)表Pepper；根據(jù)我個人的觀察，這個人形機器人有兩個設(shè)計重點，可能會是吸引軟銀首席執(zhí)行官孫正義的首要因素──也就是應(yīng)用程序以及云端服務(wù)。 Pepper 的設(shè)計公司Aldebaran創(chuàng)辦人暨首席執(zhí)行官Bruno Maisonnier，在2004年著手開發(fā)該公司第一款自主行動的可編程機器人Nao，并在2008年上市；據(jù)Maisonnier表示，Nao與 Pepper采用同一套軟件NAOqi為基礎(chǔ)，該操作系統(tǒng)能簡化機器人編程。

Pepper的機器人兄弟Nao
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而 Aldebaran打算將Pepper的架構(gòu)開放給軟件開發(fā)商，讓他們?yōu)檫@款機器人打造各種應(yīng)用程序；就像豐富的應(yīng)用程序促進(jìn)了智能手機之成功，該公司 也期望Pepper的應(yīng)用程序能擴展機器人的功能型，好在消費性市場取得成功。我認(rèn)為軟銀也看到了Pepper的成功并不在于硬件，而在于未來可能會出現(xiàn) 的、讓這款人形機器人真正大受歡迎的殺手級應(yīng)用程序。 軟銀號稱Pepper是“全球第一個會判讀情感的個人化機器人”，但它 并非天生就會，而是需要透過學(xué)習(xí)；Pepper的敏感度預(yù)期能透過來自云端人工智能的知識而不斷成長。孫正義解釋，舉例來說，放置在軟銀門市的 Pepper會開始收集與人們互動的資料，當(dāng)它說笑話時會觀察人們的反應(yīng)，然后將之上傳到云端數(shù)據(jù)庫。 當(dāng)Pepper走進(jìn)人們家中也會繼續(xù)收集資料；舉例來說，當(dāng)它為小朋友講故事而且看到他們笑得很開心，它就會注意這個情境。而根據(jù)軟銀表示，Pepper在認(rèn)知適當(dāng)?shù)姆磻?yīng)方面，會將感覺“數(shù)字化”并“自主學(xué)習(xí)”。 孫正義表示，目前Pepper是透過Wi-Fi連結(jié)到因特網(wǎng)，未來也可能會升級支持LTE；軟銀打算透過Pepper來收集與消費者相關(guān)的數(shù)據(jù)以及行為 ──但是以讓Pepper更聰明、更人性化的名義。結(jié)合應(yīng)用程序與云端服務(wù)，軟銀能從Pepper獲得的好處，很明顯比消費者多更多。 本文授權(quán)編譯自EE Times，版權(quán)所有，謝絕轉(zhuǎn)載 第3頁：高齡化的社會需要娛樂型機器人

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{pagination} 為什么需要娛樂型機器人？ 日本對機器人的迷戀實在讓我有點惱火；但在那樣一個逐漸邁入高齡化的社會，將Pepeer視為能陪伴老年人的工具是可以理解的。我的老媽媽也住在日本，她有 一天看到電視上Honda的廣告，ASIMO在意大利的某個鄉(xiāng)村廣場跟一群小朋友玩，就跟我說ASIMO真是太可愛了，她也希望有它在身邊做伴。 好 吧…我投降，我對于不能跟媽媽住在一起很有罪惡感(她真的很擅長挑起這個)；這讓我看到了Pepper的潛在價值，但這并不代表我可以信任ASIMO或 Pepper能挑起妥善照顧我嬤嬤的責(zé)任。事實上，當(dāng)我聽到軟銀介紹Peeper是一款“行為自主、以愛啟動的機器人”時，還起了不少雞皮疙瘩──真的假 的？用愛就能啟動？ 還有一點是，我對娛樂型機器人的概念頗感疑問；我不由自主地想起在1990年代末期初次訪問Sony旗下計算機科學(xué)實驗室(Computer Science Laboratory)的土井利忠(Toshitada Doi)的往事，當(dāng)時他正利用人工智能開發(fā)Aibo機器狗，在被問到為何開發(fā)娛樂型而非服務(wù)型機器人時，他坦白告訴我：“因為如果是娛樂用途，消費者會更 容易原諒機器人所犯的錯誤?！? 十年后，日本遭遇了2011年的“311”大地震與海嘯，有第一批機器人進(jìn)入了福島縣的受損核電廠收集資料，它們當(dāng)然不是日本廠商所開發(fā)的娛樂機器人，而是美國業(yè)者iRobot經(jīng)過戰(zhàn)爭測試的Packbot。 毋庸置疑，Aldebaran與軟銀將可透過把Pepper放在現(xiàn)實世界，獲得更多有關(guān)消費者資料與行為；但若它不能正確理解人們的情感，消費者真的那么容 易原諒嗎？他們會是覺得Pepper就是很可愛，還是會抱怨它沒有用？我覺得我的錢包會是后者。 在產(chǎn)業(yè)界致力于開發(fā)更優(yōu)秀機器人的此時，我認(rèn)為選擇開發(fā)娛樂型機器人──無論它們是否被投入了大量心力──其實是一種逃避。你認(rèn)為呢？我不是唯一那個希望機器人能替代人類做很多粗重工作的人吧？ 本文授權(quán)編譯自EE Times，版權(quán)所有，謝絕轉(zhuǎn)載 編譯：Judith Cheng 參考英文原文：Pepper’s Mission After Astro Boy, ASIMO & Aibo，by Junko Yoshida

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{pagination} Pepper’s Mission After Astro Boy, ASIMO & Aibo Junko Yoshida, Chief International Correspondent TOKYO — Japanese cellular operator SoftBank unveiled Thursday, June 5, its plan to launch next February a humanoid named Pepper capable of reading people’s emotions and carrying on conversations. It will be priced at less than $2,000. Pepper, at four feet in height, zips around on wheels. The humanoid has on its chest a 10.1-inch tablet computer that displays information in response to queries. SoftBank boasts that Pepper is controlled by “cloud-based” artificial intelligence. SoftBank’s CEO Masayoshi Son insisted that the goal for the humanoid project is “giving the robot a heart.” The robot’s head contains four microphones, a camera, and a 3-D depth sensor. A gyroscope occupies the torso. There are also touch sensors in the head and hands. The mobile base has two sonar units, six lasers, three bumper sensors, and a gyro. It can scoot around at speeds up to 3 kilometers an hour, according to the spec disclosed by SoftBank. Japan is the country where Astro Boy (a manga series), ASIMO (Honda’s humanoid) and Aibo (Sony’s robotic dog) were born. The story of yet another robot should come as no surprise -- except that Pepper is, well, French. The French robotics company Aldebaran developed Pepper for SoftBank, and Foxconn will manufacture the robots. SoftBank owns a majority stake in Aldebaran. Honda's ASIMO robot. (Source: Honda) Aibo robotic dog. It’s important to note that Pepper isn’t a service robot. It neither cleans the house nor mows the lawn. It is designed to read stories to kids, liven up party conversation, and serve as the family pet. In short, it exists to entertain us. This is where I fail to understand the value of this humanoid. What’s the point of having a robot if Pepper won’t do stuff I don’t want it to do? I mean, really, a witty robot? Even more puzzling is why SoftBank, a mobile operator, not a hardware vendor, should be interested in robots. Next Page: Apps that collect data Apps and cloud Pepper will start meeting people at some of SoftBank's cellphone stores in Tokyo this weekend. Is this Pepper announcement simply a publicity stunt by SoftBank’s CEO, who presumably wants to bring more people into his stores? Perhaps. But that doesn’t explain why SoftBank went out of its way to unveil Pepper for the consumer market, detailing its launch schedule (February, 2015) and pricing (at 198,000 yen). Under close examination, though, I see two design principles integral to this humanoid project that might have attracted Son in the first place. They are: apps and cloud services. Softbank's Pepper robot. Bruno Maisonnier, founder and CEO of Aldebaran, started developing the company’s first autonomous, programmable humanoid robot called Nao in 2004 and launched it on the commercial market in 2008. According to Maisonnier, both Nao and Pepper use the same software foundation called NAOqi. The operating system is designed to make robot programming easier, according to Aldebaran. What’s new with Pepper is that Aldebaran plans to open Pepper to developers, who will create applications to be offered to other users. Like the apps that triggered the smartphone’s success, Aldebaran is betting on Pepper apps to expand the robot’s capabilities, aiming for success on the consumer market. I suspect that SoftBank sees the inherent power in Pepper not for its hardware, but for potential killer apps that could make the humanoid platform truly popular. SoftBank calls Pepper “the world’s first personal robot that reads emotions.” But Pepper wasn’t born with full understanding of human emotions. These it has to learn. Pepper’s sensitivity is expected to grow as the humanoid gains knowledge via cloud-based artificial intelligence. Son explained that the robots deployed at SoftBank stores, for example, will start collecting data on their interactions with people. When Pepper tells a joke, it will observe if people laugh, for example. The robots will upload their data to a cloud-based repository. Pepper will continue to collect data once it’s installed in homes. When Pepper is at home reading a book to a child and sees her smiling a lot, for example, that situation is duly noted by the humanoid. In recognizing positive reactions, Pepper “digitizes feelings” and “l(fā)earns autonomously,” according to SoftBank’s presentation. This humanoid, currently connected to the Internet via WiFi, will likely become LTE-enabled, according to Son. SoftBank has positioned itself to collect a lot of data about consumers and their behavior through Pepper -- in the name of making Pepper smarter and more human. Putting the apps and cloud threads together, it’s pretty obvious SoftBank will probably profit from Pepper a lot more than consumers will. Next Page: Entertainment, really? Why entertainment robots? I am a little miffed about Japan’s fascination, or dare I say, infatuation with robotics. Obviously, in a rapidly aging society like Japan, it’s understandable that Pepper could be viewed as someone to keep the elderly company. In fact, my own aging mother in Japan, who saw a Honda TV commercial in which ASIMO was running around with a whole bunch of kids in a rustic square somewhere in Italy, told me once that she would like to have ASIMO around because he looks so cute. OK. I confess. I feel guilty for not living with my mother. She’s good at that. I get the potential value of Pepper. But this doesn’t mean I’d trust either ASIMO or Pepper to take good care of mom. In fact, it strikes me as a little creepy when SoftBanks touts Pepper as a “robot that behaves autonomously, powered by love.” Seriously, powered by love? Here’s one more thing. I have a real problem with the concept of entertainment robots. I can’t help but remember my first interview in the late 1990s with Toshitada Doi at Sony’s Computer Science Laboratory. Doi was then developing Aibo robots designed to use artificial intelligence. When I asked him the reason for entertainment robots and not a service robots, Doi was straight with me in his answer. “Because if it’s for entertainment, consumers will be more forgiving of the mistakes robots make.” A decade later, when Japan was hit by the big earthquake and tsunami in March 2011, the first robots that entered the nuclear power plant in Fukushima to gather data weren’t entertainment robots made by Japanese companies, but battle-tested Packbots by iRobot of Bedford, Mass. I have no doubt that Aldebaran and SoftBank will learn a great deal about us and our behavior by deploying Pepper in the real world. But will consumers be so forgiving when Pepper isn’t understanding human emotion correctly? Will they see it as simply cute, or will they deem Pepper useless? My money is on the latter. Indeed, what if Pepper “l(fā)earns” so much that it becomes an emotional cripple, like Darryl Hannah in “Blade Runner,” and Harrison Ford has to hunt the thing down and kill it? Eight people meet with the humanoid Pepper for the first time. Their mission: Give Pepper something to learn in 24 hours. The team teaches Pepper how to play the Japanese classic children’s game “Daruma-san ga koronda.” The object of the game is that you get closer to the one who is “it,” without that person seeing you move. The one who is "it" (in this case, Pepper) learns each name, senses two people move, and calls out their names. (Source: SoftBank) As to the industry’s efforts to make better robots, I find opting for entertainment robots -- regardless of whether they’ve got a lot of a heart -- still a cop out. Am I the only one who wants a robot that actually does stuff?