SoftBank has set up a UK arm of its robotics business to boost sales of its robots such as its humanoid assistant Pepper.
SoftBank Robotics, part of the Japanese technology giant, has hired former IBM Watson executive Stefano Bensi as its operations chief and launched a London sales team.
The business, which is part of SoftBank Group, sells robots for helping in care homes, for navigation and in schools.
SoftBank has hired a UK team to lead its robotics efforts and set up a London-based division of the Robotics business.
Originally founded as Alderbaran in 2005, SoftBank took a 95pc stake in the Paris headquartered business in 2016 and has since expanded its robot line.
Its robots include Pepper, a 4-foot tall humanoid assistant with a tablet computer, designed for giving directions or assistance – or for use in care homes. In Japan, it has already been deployed in a variety of roles, in one case even donning a Buddist robe and being employed as a robot priest.
Its latest robots include Nao, a 2-foot tall robot for education and research, and Whiz, an autonomous robot vacuum cleaner.
SoftBank Group, led by investor Masayoshi Son, has taken a keen interest in robotics as part of his vision for a future connected world.
It has invested hundreds of millions of dollars in robotics start-ups, including backing Zume – which designed a pizza making robot – and in January it led a $32m (£24m) round in robot waiter start-up bear robotics.