The technology chief of major U.S. robotics firm iRobot Corp. wants Sony Corp. to resume its robot business and hopes more Japanese makers will turn out commercial units to encourage investment in the industry.
In a recent interview, iRobot Chief Technology Officer Paolo Pirjanian, whose company produces the floor cleaning Roomba, said that he welcomes competition and that Japanese firms should capitalize on their advanced technologies, such as those in Honda Motor Co.'s Asimo.
"We would like to see more commercialization of these (technologies) into products because that can fuel more investment into developing more technologies and advancing the field," said Pirjanian.