Pepper

Overview

SoftBank Robotics' Pepper is a wheeled social robot standing 1.2 m with 20 degrees of freedom, designed for public-facing customer engagement. Although SoftBank officially discontinued Pepper production in 2021 after producing approximately 27,000 units, it remains the most widely deployed commercial social robot in history, and a significant installed base continues to operate in UK retail, healthcare, and education environments.

Pepper's design centres on social interaction: it uses microphones, cameras, and a touch-sensitive tablet to engage with people in queues, reception areas, and retail floors. It was deployed by HSBC, Softbank's own retail stores, multiple NHS trusts, and UK universities before the production shutdown. Post-discontinuation, specialist companies including Softbank's authorised partners continue to offer maintenance, software support, and refurbishment services.

Key Specifications

• Height: 1.2 m
• DoF: 20
• Status: Discontinued (2021), installed base still operational
• Navigation: Wheeled with obstacle detection
• Programming: NAOqi framework, Python SDK, Choreographe

Use Cases

In the UK, Pepper has been deployed in NHS hospital receptions to provide wayfinding information, in retail environments as a brand engagement and product information tool, and in universities as both a teaching and research platform. Despite discontinuation, the existing installed base continues to provide commercial value in these settings.

UK higher education institutions use Pepper in HRI research, particularly studies of how members of the public interact with a visibly social robot in naturalistic settings. The emotional expressiveness and speech capability that made Pepper commercially successful also make it one of the richest platforms for studying social robot interaction.

Used Market

Given the discontinuation, the secondary market is now the only route to acquisition. Used Pepper units appear regularly through specialist robotics dealers, auction platforms, and corporate equipment liquidations in the UK and Europe. Prices range from £3,000 to £12,000 depending on condition, generation, and whether a service contract is included. Buyers should verify battery health, motor condition across all 20 joints, tablet display functionality, and the availability of ongoing software support from an authorised service partner before committing to a purchase.

Alternatives to Consider

SoftBank NAO v6 continues in production and remains the most accessible current SoftBank humanoid. Enchanted Tools Mirokai is the closest current-production equivalent for expressive public-facing social robot applications. LG CLOi ServeBot addresses the customer-facing service role in hospitality environments without the social interaction focus.