Name: Pepper
Brand: SoftBank Robotics

RoboSelect360 analyst note

Most widely deployed social robot in the world: 2,000+ sites in banks, airports, hospitals and retail in Japan and Europe. 12h battery life — best in the service sector. Proven operational maturity. Main limitation: low cognitive autonomy, complex navigation and manipulation tasks not mastered. Production stopped in 2021 — limited stock, available on the second-hand market.

Detailed scoring — 6 criteria

Technical specifications

Strengths

✓ World reception leader: 2,000+ companies, 70 countries — shops, airports, banks, hospitals

✓ 12h battery life: Best autonomy in the service sector — full day without recharging

✓ Emotion recognition: Detects joy, sadness, anger = empathetic interaction

✓ Accepted design: Non-threatening appearance, very high public acceptance

✓ Mature ecosystem: 10+ years of development, thousands of apps available

Limitations

! Limited mobility: Wheels only — stairs and obstacles impossible

! Production stopped: SoftBank halted manufacturing in 2021 — limited stock, second-hand market

! Price + subscription: €15,000–20,000 + cloud subscription €900–1,200/year

! Basic manipulation: Low-dexterity arms — no industrial manipulation

Documented deployments

SoftBank Retail — Japan

2015 → ongoing

Deployed in hundreds of SoftBank shops in Japan. Customer reception, product information, navigation assistance.

Airports and banks — Worldwide

2016 → ongoing

Used in airports (Geneva, Tokyo), banks and hospitals. Guidance, information, multilingual reception.

Carrefour, HSBC, Nestlé

2017–2021

Retail and banking pilot projects in Europe and Asia.

Target sectors

Compatible environments

Main use cases

Sources

SoftBank Robotics official standardbots.com 2026

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