Japanese electronics giant
Some analysts have since been wondering whether Sharp has lost its marbles. The truth is likely that the new robot serves as many purposes as it has functions. That is to say quite a few.
It is not about the numbers
One of the main reasons that analysts have been shaking their heads is the price tag. Then there is the question of functionality.
As Ace Research Institute’s Hideki Yasuda put it to the Wall Street Journal:
“I don’t think it will be a major hit item,” he said, continuing, “It is too big to carry around as a smartphone. Some hard-core robot fans would buy this at the launch, but that would be it.”
It is definitely a valid point.
Then there is the fact that answering your phone means talking into the feet of a bonsai Optimus
However, I believe that the points, while valid, are slightly off. RoBoHon is not about the numbers. Whether it meets the projected sales numbers – or makes a dent in the market in Japan or anywhere else - is secondary. What is really important is its signal value.
Part of the club
Standing at 19.5 cm tall, RoBoHoN packs an impressive array of hardware and features. Apart from all of the things that you can expect of a smart phone, it can walk around on its own, respond to voice commands and recognise its owner’s face. It has an inbuilt 1280 x 720-resolution laser projector and can project video and photos on to flat surfaces. More features are being developed for later release.
RoBoHoN is Sharp’s entry ticket into the club of Japanese companies who have developed humanoid robots.
Many of the other members have pursued this kind of robotics, even though it is not necessarily within their core services.
They are all what the Japanese would call ‘kawaii’, or ‘’cute’.
One exception is Sanyo’s guard robot, Banryu, which looks like the menacing offspring of an AT-AT Walker from Star Wars and a camel.
Most of these robots have limited practical use, compared to industrial or enterprise robots.
On the other hand, they are great for marketing and as platforms for trying out new services.
Another part of the reason for building humanoid robots is that it signals that a company is innovative and able to use cutting-edge technology. This is doubly true in Japan.
Making new ownership happy
Staying with marketing and signal value, RoBoHon’s arrival could hardly be better timed.
Sharp was recently acquired by Hon Hai Precision Industry – better known as Foxconn.
Nikkei Asian recently reported robotics plays an important part in Hon Hai Precision Industry’s plans of turning its $3.5 billion acquisition of Sharp into a success.
“We are talking with Sharp about how to turn both companies' robotics technology into new consumer electronics products and we believe this is a key future direction for both companies,” Tai Jeng-wu, a high-ranking Hon Hai vice president, was quoted as saying.
Sharp has, to put it bluntly, been floundering for a while. Part of the reason has been an unwillingness to diversify away from areas such as consumer electronics.
RoBoHon could signal a fresh start, and a move towards the emerging Japanese market for social robots.
Robots and phones to mix it up in Japan?
In the space for social robots we find another member of the Japanese robot family, Pepper.
Pepper is sold through the stores of Japanese phone company Softbank. Its price tag: 198,000 Yen. Yes that is the exact same as RoBoHon.
Another similarity is that RoBoHon is going to be sold through stores of one of SoftBank’s main rivals, NTT Docomo.
It could indicate that the Japanese phone market is turning to robots as a marketing tool in the fight for the often robot-crazy Japanese consumer.
This remains a theory, but it could soon be put to the litmus test.
Hitachi is another Japanese company getting into social robots. The company recently unveiled EMIEW3, a robot it plans to sell from 2018.
If it goes on sale through one of the other big phone companies, such as AU, and comes with a price tag of 198,000 Yen. Well, then I will rest my case.
