PlayStation Inventor Starts New Career Making Robots for No Pay

Ken Kutaragi is the new CEO of Tokyo-based Ascent Robotics
Startup is developing mobile robots that work alongside humans

Ken Kutaragi in Tokyo on Oct. 8.Photographer: Kentaro Takahashi/Bloomberg

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By Pavel Alpeyev and Yuki Furukawa

October 8, 2020 at 9:00 PM UTC

This article is for subscribers only.

Ken Kutaragi, the legendary inventor of the PlayStation gaming console, is taking on one of the hardest jobs in robotics. And he’s getting paid nothing to do it.

The founder of Sony Corp.’s gaming business is the new chief executive officer of Ascent Robotics Inc., a Tokyo-based artificial intelligence startup. Kutaragi, 70, wants to make affordable robots that can safely move around and do physical work alongside humans in factories and logistics centers, and aims to have a working prototype in about a year. He said he receives no salary to save precious capital.