SoftBank Robotics
SoftBank Robotics is the robotics business of Japan's SoftBank Group, best known for Pepper, a humanoid robot introduced in Tokyo on 5 June 2014 by SoftBank founder Masayoshi Son. Pepper was designed to enjoy life with people rather than do housework, using emotion recognition to interact, and it went on sale in Japan in June 2015, when the first batch of 1,000 units sold out in 60 seconds. It later reached the UK in 2016 and was used in airports, restaurants and shops across Europe, North America and the United Arab Emirates. About 27,000 Pepper robots were made before production stopped in 2021 because of weak demand. The smaller NAO humanoid came from Aldebaran, the French company that built Pepper for SoftBank, which was called SoftBank Robotics Europe until it reverted to the Aldebaran name in 2022. Aldebaran entered receivership in 2025, ending development of NAO and Pepper in Europe. A rental-only Pepper+ service was reported to have launched in Japan in February 2026.
💡Notable Achievement: SoftBank introduced Pepper on 5 June 2014; about 27,000 were made before production stopped in June 2021, and Aldebaran, its French builder, entered receivership in 2025.
What Does SoftBank Robotics Do?
SoftBank Robotics is the robotics business of SoftBank Group, known for Pepper, the emotion-recognising humanoid built by France's Aldebaran and sold in Japan from 2015.
“The company that put a humanoid in shops and airports, now winding down.”
Pepper
Introduced in June 2014 to interact with people through emotion recognition.
Wide Deployment
Used in airports, restaurants and shops across Europe, North America and the UAE.
End of Production
Production stopped in June 2021 after about 27,000 units.
What Can SoftBank Robotics Robots Actually Do?
Cross-portfolio operational capabilities, manipulation tasks, and environmental competencies
Social interaction and customer engagement.
Greeting & Engagement
Pepper recognises emotions and interacts with customers.
Education & Research
NAO is a small programmable humanoid used in teaching.
SoftBank Robotics Robots
Showing 2 Humanoid Robots of 2 total models
Pepper
By: SoftBank Robotics
Launched: 2014
Pepper is a humanoid social robot engineered for human interaction, featuring expressive facial animations via LED eyes and gestures powered by 20 DC motors. Standing at 120 cm with omnidirectional wheeled mobility reaching 3 km/h, it navigates indoor spaces using laser scanners, sonars, and cameras for obstacle avoidance and people detection. Equipped with dual 5MP HD cameras, a 3D depth sensor, four microphones, and touch sensors, Pepper recognizes faces, emotions, and voices in over 20 languages. Its chest-mounted 10.1-inch tablet enables touch interactions, while NAOqi OS supports Python, C++, Java, and Choregraphe for custom behaviors. Ideal for retail, education, healthcare, and hospitality, Pepper engages users through speech synthesis, dialogue engines, and emotional responses, fostering natural collaboration without true bipedal walking but mimicking humanoid proportions for approachability.
NAO
By: SoftBank Robotics
Launched: 2008
NAO is a compact bipedal humanoid robot renowned for its interactive capabilities in education, research, and healthcare. Standing at 58 cm with 25 degrees of freedom, it features human-like proportions enabling fluid walking, waving, dancing, and sitting motions. Equipped with dual HD cameras for face and object recognition, four directional microphones for speech interaction in 20+ languages, and an array of sensors including sonars, inertial units, force-sensitive resistors, and tactile sensors, NAO perceives its environment intuitively. Powered by NAOqi OS on an Intel Atom processor, it supports programmable behaviors via Choregraphe suite, including fall detection/recovery and balancing. Its LED eyes and expressive gestures foster engaging human-robot interaction, making it ideal for STEM teaching, autism therapy, RoboCup competitions, and social robotics studies. Robust polycarbonate construction ensures durability for repeated use in dynamic settings.
SoftBank Robotics Timeline & Milestones
Evolutionary history, landmark prototypes, major acquisitions, and commercial roadmap
Pepper unveiled in Tokyo
SoftBank founder Masayoshi Son introduces Pepper, an emotion-recognising humanoid built by Aldebaran, at an event in Tokyo.
Source: en.wikipedia.org
Pepper goes on sale in Japan
Pepper goes on sale in Japan and the first batch of 1,000 units sells out in 60 seconds.
Source: en.wikipedia.org
Pepper production ends
SoftBank stops making Pepper because of insufficient demand, after about 27,000 units were produced.
Source: en.wikipedia.org
SoftBank Robotics Europe becomes Aldebaran again
SoftBank Robotics Europe changes its name back to Aldebaran, the French maker of the NAO and Pepper robots.
Source: techcrunch.com
Aldebaran enters receivership
Aldebaran, the French maker of NAO and Pepper, enters receivership in 2025 after failing to find a buyer.
Source: therobotreport.com
SoftBank Robotics Competitors by Category
Direct industry rivals grouped by specific robotics domain
What Makes SoftBank Robotics Different?
Editorial AnalysisOrigin of Bots objective strategic assessment, engineering moats, and commercial hurdles
Key Strengths & Moats
- ✓Pioneering mass-market social humanoid.
- ✓Large historical installed base.
Core Strategic Focus
Rental-only Pepper+ service in Japan.
Road Ahead & Challenges
- •Production ended and the European maker went into receivership.
- •Weak demand for social robots.
SoftBank Robotics vs Key Competitors
Strategic capability matrix across platform categories, commercial readiness, and target markets
Total Units Deployed
- SoftBank (Pepper/NAO)
- 35,000+ Units Globally
- ROBOTIS (OP3)
- ~3,000+ Research Bipeds
- Engineered Arts (Ameca)
- ~100+ Custom Builds
- Promobot (V.4)
- 700+ Commercial Kiosks
Locomotion Form
- SoftBank (Pepper/NAO)
- Wheeled Tri-Base (Pepper) / Biped (NAO)
- ROBOTIS (OP3)
- Compact Dynamic Biped
- Engineered Arts (Ameca)
- Stationary Torso / Research Biped
- Promobot (V.4)
- Wheeled Indoor Mobile Base
Primary Target
- SoftBank (Pepper/NAO)
- Education & Retail Engagement
- ROBOTIS (OP3)
- Academic Kinematic Research
- Engineered Arts (Ameca)
- Exhibitions & Entertainment PR
- Promobot (V.4)
- Automated Service & Concierge
Primary AI Interface
- SoftBank (Pepper/NAO)
- NAOqi Voice & Tablet System
- ROBOTIS (OP3)
- ROS 2 Vision & Kinematics
- Engineered Arts (Ameca)
- GPT-4 Multimodal Integration
- Promobot (V.4)
- Promobot Conversational Engine
| Strategic Dimension | SoftBank (Pepper/NAO) | ROBOTIS (OP3) | Engineered Arts (Ameca) | Promobot (V.4) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total Units Deployed | 35,000+ Units Globally | ~3,000+ Research Bipeds | ~100+ Custom Builds | 700+ Commercial Kiosks |
| Locomotion Form | Wheeled Tri-Base (Pepper) / Biped (NAO) | Compact Dynamic Biped | Stationary Torso / Research Biped | Wheeled Indoor Mobile Base |
| Primary Target | Education & Retail Engagement | Academic Kinematic Research | Exhibitions & Entertainment PR | Automated Service & Concierge |
| Primary AI Interface | NAOqi Voice & Tablet System | ROS 2 Vision & Kinematics | GPT-4 Multimodal Integration | Promobot Conversational Engine |
Corporate Ecosystem & Ownership Structure
Parent company relationships, historical acquisitions, and global operating facilities
SoftBank Group
SoftBank Robotics is the robotics arm of Japan's SoftBank Group.
Ownership & Acquisition History
SoftBank Robotics is the robotics arm of Japan's SoftBank Group.
Global Facilities & Operating Hubs
SoftBank Robotics Headquarters
HQTokyo, Japan
Articles & Industry News
Showing 2 recent articles and news updates about SoftBank Robotics
Frequently Asked Questions
8 AnswersVerified answers, company specifications, and deployment details about SoftBank Robotics
What is SoftBank Robotics' Pepper?
Pepper is a humanoid robot introduced by SoftBank in June 2014, designed to recognise emotions and interact with people. It sold in Japan from 2015 and was used in shops, airports and restaurants.
Is Pepper still made?
No. SoftBank stopped producing Pepper in June 2021 because of weak demand, after about 27,000 units had been made. A rental-only Pepper+ service was reported in Japan in 2026.
Who made Pepper and NAO?
Pepper and NAO were built by Aldebaran, the French robotics company that was called SoftBank Robotics Europe until 2022. Aldebaran entered receivership in 2025.
How much did Pepper cost?
When Pepper went on sale in Japan in 2015, it cost 198,000 yen, under US$2,000, plus a monthly subscription fee, and the first 1,000 units sold out in 60 seconds.
Who unveiled Pepper?
SoftBank founder Masayoshi Son unveiled Pepper at an event in Tokyo on 5 June 2014, saying it was meant to make people enjoy life and strengthen relationships.
Where was Pepper used?
After launching in Japan, Pepper reached the UK in 2016 and was used in airports, restaurants and retail stores across Europe, North America and the United Arab Emirates.
What happened to Aldebaran?
Aldebaran reverted to its own name in 2022, lost funding in 2024 and entered receivership in 2025 after failing to find a buyer, ending European development of NAO and Pepper.
What is the NAO robot?
NAO is a small programmable humanoid robot from Aldebaran, widely used in education and research, and was sold alongside Pepper by SoftBank Robotics.
Verified Data & Editorial Assurance
Compiled from verified corporate filings, official SoftBank Robotics datasheets, and robotics engineering registries. Information has been verified against official manufacturer documentation. For commercial procurement or proprietary integrations, contact the manufacturer directly.