Pepper was originally developed by the French company Aldebaran Robotics. In 2015, Aldebaran was acquired by the Japanese tech conglomerate SoftBank Group and was rebranded as SoftBank Robotics. In a significant shift, SoftBank Robotics Europe was acquired by the German United Robotics Group in April 2022, and the French company reverted to its original name, Aldebaran Robotics.

This series of acquisitions and rebrandings has created a complex corporate history for the robot, with its development and manufacturing involving entities in France, Japan, and Germany. Foxconn, the Taiwanese electronics manufacturer, was also involved in the production of Pepper.

The development of Pepper began with a first prototype in 2012. The robot was officially introduced to the public in Tokyo on June 5, 2014, by SoftBank’s founder, Masayoshi Son. The following day, Pepper was showcased in SoftBank Mobile stores in Japan. The first batch of 1,000 robots went on sale in June 2015 and sold out in just one minute. Pepper was subsequently launched in the UK in 2016.

By May 2018, 12,000 units had been sold in Europe. However, due to weaker-than-expected demand, SoftBank paused production of Pepper in June 2021, by which time an estimated 27,000 units had been manufactured. In early 2024, a voice library based on Pepper’s voice was released. A significant development in early 2025 was that Aldebaran Robotics, the original creator, went into receivership, casting doubt on the platform’s long-term future. However, in a surprising turn, SoftBank Robotics announced a new AI-powered version, ‘Pepper+,’ in February 2026.

Pepper is a semi-humanoid robot standing 1.20 meters (4 ft) tall and weighing 28 kilograms (62 lbs). Its head is equipped with four microphones, two HD cameras, and a 3D depth sensor. The robot has a gyroscope in its torso and touch sensors in its head and hands. Its mobile base includes two sonars, six lasers, three bumper sensors, and another gyroscope.

Pepper moves on three omnidirectional wheels, allowing for a maximum speed of 3 km/h. A 10.1-inch touchscreen is mounted on its chest, which can be used for various interactive purposes. The robot has 20 degrees of freedom, enabling a wide range of expressive movements. It operates on a lithium-ion battery that provides approximately 12 hours of operation time.

Pepper’s software is built on the NAOqi OS, a proprietary operating system developed by Aldebaran Robotics. A key feature of Pepper is its ability to perceive and interpret human emotions by analyzing facial expressions and voice tones. This is a central part of its design as a social and interactive robot. The platform allows for the development of applications to extend its functionality, and it can run existing content from the app store designed for the Nao robot, another humanoid robot from Aldebaran.

The announcement of ‘Pepper+’ in 2026 suggests a significant upgrade to its AI capabilities, likely incorporating more advanced conversational AI and learning abilities.

Pepper has been deployed in a variety of commercial and academic settings. In the commercial sector, it has been used as a receptionist in offices, a customer service agent in banks and retail stores, and a greeter in airports and restaurants. Notably, it has been used in all branches of Hamazushi restaurants in Japan. In 2019, a café in Tokyo called “Pepper PARLOR” was opened, staffed by Pepper robots.

In the academic world, Pepper is used as a research and educational tool for teaching programming and studying human-robot interaction. A notable research project, CARESSES, explored the use of Pepper in elderly care. In a unique event, a Pepper robot even gave evidence to the UK Parliament’s Education Committee in 2018.

Pepper’s pricing has varied significantly by edition and sales channel. The initial consumer version in Japan was priced at 198,000 yen (approximately $1,790 USD). However, the academic and business editions are considerably more expensive, with prices around $25,000 to $50,000 USD. The high cost of the more advanced versions has been a barrier to wider adoption.

Pepper’s main achievement is being the world’s first mass-produced humanoid robot designed to interact with people and perceive their emotions. It has been recognized by Guinness World Records for this accomplishment. However, the robot has also faced criticism and limitations. Its inability to perform complex physical tasks and its reliance on a controlled environment have limited its practical applications. In some public deployments, it has struggled with background noise, which affects its ability to understand voice commands.

The high price of the robot has also been a significant factor in its limited commercial success. The initial hype surrounding Pepper did not translate into widespread adoption, leading to a pause in production in 2021.

The future of Pepper has been uncertain, especially with Aldebaran Robotics entering receivership in 2025. However, the announcement of ‘Pepper+’ by SoftBank Robotics in February 2026 indicates a renewed commitment to the platform.

This new version is expected to have enhanced AI capabilities that could address some of the original model’s limitations. The focus will likely be on improving its conversational capabilities and making it a more capable, useful assistant in commercial and educational settings. The long-term success of Pepper will depend on whether these improvements can create a more compelling value proposition for businesses and researchers.