SoftBank Robotics' Pepper is a 121 cm wheeled social robot designed for customer interaction in retail, hospitality, and education. Production was paused in 2021 after ~27,000 units shipped; relaunched in Japan as rental-only Pepper+ in February 2026.
Primary use case: Customer interaction, retail assistance, education, and hospitality service
Height
121 cm
Weight
28 kg
DOF
20
Battery
12 hrs
Price
$32K
Height
121 cm
Weight
28 kg
Degrees of Freedom
20
Locomotion
wheeled
Hand Type
5-finger non-grasping
Max Lift/Arm
0.5 kg
Battery Life
12 hrs
Charging Time
8 hrs
Price
$32K
Availability
commercial
Primary Use Case
Customer interaction, retail assistance, education, and hospitality service
SoftBank Group is considering acquiring Allied Universal, the largest US security services company, at an equity value of as much as $18 billion, with total deal value potentially near $30 billion including ~$12 billion in debt. The move is part of founder Masayoshi Son's broader push to deploy AI-powered robotics across industries, with security services seen as a promising proving ground for fleets of robots replacing or supplementing human guards. Allied has been developing its own autonomous security machines, and Son has been ramping up robotics investments via deals including the $5.4 billion acquisition of ABB's industrial robots unit and investments in startups like Gravis Robotics and Agile Robots.
Chinese-made products, from portable power stations to humanoid robots, are increasingly permeating Japanese daily life and critical infrastructure. Japanese companies like SoftBank Japan have shifted from manufacturing their own robots to distributing Chinese-made robots, while Japan Airlines has deployed Unitree and UBTech humanoid robots at Haneda Airport for ground handling tasks. The article highlights Japan's growing dependency on Chinese manufacturing despite its historical prominence in robotics and consumer electronics.
When expressive humanoid robots are awkward, people become wary – new brain study