Taiwan's Asustek Computer is set to release its humanoid in 2016, similar to SoftBank's Pepper, shown here displayed in a store in Tokyo last year. (Photo : www.in.reuters.com)
Taiwan's Asustek Computer said that it is developing a humanoid robot similar to Pepper, the one made by Japanese mobile carrier SoftBank, which is expected to debut next year at the earliest, according to Jonney Shih, Asustek's chairman.
Shih said in an interview published by tech news site Engadget on Monday, Aug. 17, that he is personally overseeing the company's robotics project that aims to come up with a machine that can proactively interact with humans.
The chairman said that they are expecting to launch the new robot next year as long as they maintain their "very aggressive schedule." The report said that the humanoid is being developed in Asustek's advanced research center called the Da Vinci Lab.
Japan's Nikkei Business Publication revealed that Pepper's depth-sensing camera is made by Asustek, following a teardown or disassembly of the robot in early July. The Taiwanese company, however, declined to confirm or comment on the report.
An updated recruitment ad posted on online job bank Yes123 by Asustek on Aug. 3, however, confirmed that the company is looking for one or two robotics hardware engineers to work at the company's headquarters in Taipei, where the Da Vinci Lab is located.
"As an electrical engineer, you will have responsibility for the validation and characterization of consumer robotics products developed at Asustek, including embedded computer, robotics sensor components, and mainboard hardware," read the ad.
SoftBank's Pepper, sold at 198,000 Japanese yen ($1,610) each, aside from reading human emotions, can also express feelings of its own that change depending on how people interact with it.
The initial batch of Pepper robots, numbering about 1,000, was sold out in one minute after it went on sale in Japan on June 20.
