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SoftBank Robotics · Pepper
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SoftBank Robotics · Retail / Mall
Pepper
Semi-humanoid receptionist for retail, hotels, education on flat, smooth surfaces.
2.05
Early Stage / Experimental (Discontinued)
AI-assisted rating · No verified user reviews yet · Be the first to rate
Pilot Ready
Pricing
$5K – $32K
Opens SoftBank Robotics's own product page in a new tab. Robofy is independent — we research and compare, but pricing and orders happen on the manufacturer's site.
Why it matters
- University HRI research labs — stable platform, mature SDK, no commercial pressure
- K-12 STEM education in programming and robotics fundamentals — Choregraphe visual tool well-suited
- Library interactive assistant in low-noise, scheduled environments — language learning and patron guidance
Mature Education SDK
Choregraphe visual programming remains stable and well-documented, making Pepper a solid low-risk platform for teaching robotics fundamentals in K-12 or university settings.
Payload
Minimal (arms designed for gesture, not load-bearing)
Battery life
Approximately 12 hours on 30Ah Li-ion battery
Speed
3 km/h (omnidirectional)
Height
1200 mm
Width
600 mm
Depth
600 mm
Weight
50 kg
Navigation
Vision-led navigation (estimated)
Connectivity
Wi-Fi / cloud fleet management (estimated)
Charging
Manual / battery swap
Environment
Indoor
Navigation & autonomy
- Obstacle avoidance
- Multi-floor
- Elevator support
Interaction
- Voice interaction
- Screen interaction
Operations & fleet
- Autonomous charging
- Fleet management
Environment
- Indoor
- Outdoor
Best for
When to deploy this.
- University HRI research labs — stable platform, mature SDK, no commercial pressure
- K-12 STEM education in programming and robotics fundamentals — Choregraphe visual tool well-suited
- Library interactive assistant in low-noise, scheduled environments — language learning and patron guidance
Limitations
When to skip it.
- Voice recognition, emotion detection, and cloud-triggered responses require active internet, but SoftBank's cloud APIs were retired in 2022.
- Only about 15% of businesses renewed their three-year contracts; limited conversational ability, inability to handle complex tasks, and high ongoing costs made it difficult to justify.
- Unable to hear questions properly in high background noise; customers unwilling to interact when human help was available.
Decision snapshot
Pilot ReadyDeployment readiness
35Verify
ROI confidence
25Verify
Site fit
40Verify
Maintenance load
40Medium
Buyer next move
Use this moment to capture buying intent before the user drifts back into research mode.
Payback lens
30+ mo
Directional estimate based on price, labor offset, and readiness scores.
Buying model
Purchase led
$5K - $32K
Supplier readiness
Supplier identified
Limited
Decision scores
Deployment
35How operationally ready this robot is for production deployment today.
ROI clarity
25Confidence in the published ROI numbers — how likely the savings actually materialize.
Labor replacement
15Share of the human task this category can credibly offload.
Environment fit
40Fit with your target environment — lighting, floor type, congestion.
Maintenance risklower is better
40Expected maintenance load and downtime risk. Lower is better.
Future potential
20Long-horizon strategic upside — where the platform points 3+ years out.
Performance2.0
Reliability2.0
Ease of deployment2.0
Market maturity2.0
Value for money2.0
Innovation2.0
Safety4.0
Support & ecosystem1.0
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Robofy separates manufacturer-confirmed facts from operator estimates. Anything not yet press-sourced or supplier-confirmed is tagged so you can decide how much weight to give it.
Trust46
Hardware specs and dimensions sourced from manufacturer datasheets and technical databases (WeVolver, GenerationRobots, IEEE Spectrum). Pricing reflects secondary-market listings (RobotLAB, RoboZaps, Alibaba Electronics) as of 2026; original retail pricing from press archives (TechCrunch 2015, Robohub 2015). Availability status and Maxvision acquisition documented via Wikipedia and RoboZaps (March 2026). Cloud service deprecation and business renewal rate from third-party analysis (Alibaba Electronics FAQ, ThinkRobotics). Real-world deployment challenges inferred from Edinburgh supermarket case and care-home research (CARESSES, peer-reviewed literature).
8 Press4 Estimated7 Inferred
- MaturityInferred
- Deployment readinessInferred
- ROI clarityInferred
- Labor replacement potentialInferred
- Environment fitInferred
- Maintenance riskInferred
- Future potentialInferred
- Price rangeSourceEstimated
- PayloadEstimated
- Dimensions (mm)Estimated
- CapabilitiesEstimated
- Lease rangeSourcePress
- AvailabilitySourcePress
- Battery lifeSourcePress
- SpeedSourcePress
- DimensionsSourcePress
- WeightSourcePress
- NavigationSourcePress
- ConnectivitySourcePress
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Frequently asked questions
How much does SoftBank Robotics Pepper cost?
SoftBank Robotics Pepper is priced at $5,000–$32,000 (manufacturer list pricing; final quotes vary by configuration and region).
What is SoftBank Robotics Pepper best used for?
SoftBank Robotics Pepper is best suited for: University HRI research labs — stable platform, mature SDK, no commercial pressure · K-12 STEM education in programming and robotics fundamentals — Choregraphe visual tool well-suited · Library interactive assistant in low-noise, scheduled environments — language learning and patron guidance.
Can I buy SoftBank Robotics Pepper today?
SoftBank Robotics Pepper is available in limited quantities or select regions — expect lead times.
What are the best alternatives to SoftBank Robotics Pepper?
Buyers most often weigh SoftBank Robotics Pepper against pudu CC1 Pro, Starship Technologies Starship Delivery Robot, Serve Robotics Gen 3 Delivery Robot. Use Robofy's head-to-head compare pages for a spec-by-spec breakdown.
Pepper vs CC1 Pro →Pepper vs Starship Delivery Robot →Pepper vs Gen 3 Delivery Robot →