Sony Group Corp., a Japanese electronics and entertainment conglomerate, said on Tuesday that it has the technology to create humanoid robots quickly once it has determined how they can be used effectively. “In terms of technology, several companies in the world, including this one, have enough technology accumulated to make them swift once it becomes clear which usage is promising,” Sony Chief Technology Officer Hiroaki Kitano told Reuters in an interview.
Honda Motor Co. and Hyundai Motor Co. have been developing humanoid robots for decades, and Tesla Chief Executive Elon Musk demonstrated a prototype of its humanoid robot Optimus in September. Musk’s company is considering deploying thousands of robots in its factories, eventually expanding to millions around the world.
Sony, according to Kitano, is well positioned to play a major role in the metaverse, or immersive virtual worlds, because of its expertise in audio-visual technology and rich entertainment content such as music and video games. Earlier on Tuesday, Kitano stated at a media briefing that Sony will increase its R&D efforts and defined sensing, artificial intelligence (AI), and digital virtual spaces as key technical domains to drive Sony’s business expansion.
“Sensors, AI, and virtual spaces interlocking together is the core of our technology and will be our great strength,” Kitano told reporters. Sony’s image sensors are widely used in smartphones and are quickly becoming critical auto components as automakers strive to reduce traffic accidents and move toward self-driving vehicles.