Japanese telecoms and Internet giant SoftBank has announced that it will team up with Honda to create cars that can communicate with their human pilots on an emotional level. The proposed touchy-feely machines would utilize advanced artificial intelligence capable of reading a human’s emotional state and computing context-based awareness, effectively turning an everyday conveyance into a four-wheeled digital buddy.
According to a recent report in Fortune, SoftBank sees myriad applications for the technology, including both practical uses (offering help with parking) and psychological benefits (keeping the driver company on a long trip).
The proposal comes on the heels of SoftBank’s $32 billion acquisition of ARM Holdings, a U.K.-based computer chip design company that provides hardware for a slew of smart devices, including phones, tablets, and TVs, as well as automotive applications (ABS sensors, etc.).
SoftBank has already made significant strides in the areas of robotics and AI technology. The company’s most famous advance is Pepper, a humanoid robot introduced in 2014 that uses a slew of sensors, cameras, and microphones to “perceive” human emotion and provide “genuine day-to-day [companionship].”
Of course, Honda brings more to the table than just its expertise in building cars. The automaker also has a robot of its own – ASIMO (Advanced Step in Innovative Mobility), which is capable of recognizing movement, expressions, posture, and gestures, as well as moving in a bipedal, human-like manner.
Masayoshi Son, the billionaire CEO of SoftBank, had this to say: “Imagine if robots, with their super intelligence, devoted themselves to humans. And imagine that cars themselves became supercomputers or robots one day. Honda will be the first to adopt this technology.”
Continue reading for the full story.
from Top Speed http://ift.tt/2ajByF2
via IFTTT
0 comments:
Post a Comment