Softbank Pepper Wheeled Humanoid Robot

A robot that stands in a doorway and waits to be spoken to is doing a very different job from one that sits behind a fence and repeats a motion. The Softbank Pepper Wheeled Humanoid Robot belongs to the first kind. It is a 121cm tall humanoid, born on June 5th 2014, designed for human interaction through vocal conversation and a tablet on its chest, and it rolls rather than walks to meet the people it serves.

The product is available through this page, by quotation.

Background

The company and the Pepper lineage

Pepper comes from SoftBank Robotics, the maker that also sells the smaller NAO humanoid. The two robots share a manufacturer but not a purpose. Where a compact legged robot suits a classroom bench or a research laboratory, Pepper is sized to face an adult across a counter, a reception desk or a shop aisle. The manufacturer's own description puts the emphasis squarely on interaction: conversation by voice, with a touch tablet to show what words alone cannot.

For organizations in the Caribbean, that lineage matters for a practical reason. Pepper is a documented platform with a datasheet, a proprietary operating system and a graphical programming tool, so a hotel group, a university or an integrator can plan a project around it rather than around guesswork.

Positioning and key technology

Pepper pairs a humanoid upper body with a wheeled base. The body has 20 degrees of freedom from the head to the fingertips, which lets the robot gesture, turn toward a speaker and move its arms while it talks. Below the torso, wheels carry the robot across flat indoor floors at up to 2 km/h, a walking pace that suits a lobby or a showroom.

Inside, the datasheet lists an ATOM E3845 processor and 4 GB of DDR3 RAM. The software side runs on NAOqi OS, a Unix based proprietary operating system. Programming can be done with Choregraphe, a graphical robotics programming software created by SoftBank Robotics, which allows behaviors to be assembled visually. Speech synthesis and speech-to-text are available in 12 languages, an important point for regions where guests and customers switch between languages in a single conversation.

Technical Specifications

Two sources describe this robot: the softbank.jp specification page and the SoftBank Robotics datasheet. Where both give a figure for the same quantity, such as the overall size, both are shown and labeled by source.

Specifications as published by the manufacturer; confirmed against the datasheet at quotation.

The manufacturer has not published the box contents, the payload, the IP rating, the charging time or the operating temperature range; they are confirmed at quotation.

What makes Pepper different from a typical service robot?

Most service robots are built around a task: carry a tray, scrub a floor, scan a shelf. Pepper is built around a person. Its face-height tablet, its head and arm movements and its voice are all aimed at one outcome, which is keeping a visitor engaged long enough to be helped, informed or entertained.

The specifications support that purpose. A 10.1 inch touch display gives the robot a screen for menus, maps, forms or video, so a conversation can move between speech and touch. Twenty degrees of freedom allow gestures that make the exchange feel natural, rather than a speaker box with wheels. And because speech synthesis and speech-to-text are offered in 12 languages, one robot can greet guests in more than one tongue, which fits tourism and event settings well.

The trade-off is plain. Pepper moves at up to 2 km/h and climbs up to 1.5 cm, so it belongs on flat, open indoor floors rather than on thresholds, ramps or rough ground. A buyer who needs a robot to lift or carry should look elsewhere, since Pepper is not presented as a carrier.

How long does Pepper run on a charge?

The datasheet gives two autonomy figures: 12 hours in intensive use and 19 hours in standby mode. The energy comes from a lithium-ion battery listed as 30.0Ah/795Wh. For a venue that opens for a normal business day, a 12 hour figure for intensive use is a useful planning number, since it covers a long shift of continuous interaction.

Who is the Softbank Pepper Wheeled Humanoid Robot for?

Hospitality is the obvious segment. Hotels, resorts and cruise-port facilities welcome visitors from many places, and a multilingual greeter that never tires of the same questions can take pressure off a front desk. Retail and showroom operators can use the same capability to draw people in and point them to products.

Universities and technical institutes form a second group. Pepper's graphical programming tool, Choregraphe, lowers the barrier for students and staff who want to build interaction behaviors without starting from low-level code, and the NAOqi OS gives developers a defined platform to work on. Research groups studying human-robot interaction will value a humanoid built for that very subject.

Integrators and events companies are a third segment. They can program Pepper for exhibitions, conferences and promotional campaigns, where the robot becomes both the attraction and the information point. For smaller classroom needs or purely desktop work, a compact robot may be the better fit; you can browse the wider range in our Shop category.

What is the Softbank Pepper Wheeled Humanoid Robot used for?

1. Welcoming visitors. The robot greets people at a lobby, reception or entrance and starts the conversation by voice.
2. Answering questions. Speech-to-text in 12 languages lets it take a question and reply in the visitor's language.
3. Showing content on the tablet. The 10.1 inch touch display carries menus, maps, offers or short videos alongside the conversation.
4. Teaching robotics and programming. Choregraphe and NAOqi OS give students a hands-on platform for building behaviors.
5. Human-robot interaction research. Its gestures, voice and tablet make it a ready subject for studies in social robotics.
6. Events and promotions. A moving, talking humanoid draws a crowd at exhibitions, launches and open days.

Pricing and Availability

We do not print prices on this page. Quotation is the way to proceed: tell us your use case, your venue and your quantity, and we will respond with a written offer. Delivery, customs and support are arranged together with the quotation, so you see the whole project in one document. The Softbank Pepper Wheeled Humanoid Robot is available on this page.

Frequently Asked Questions

How tall is Pepper?

Pepper is a 121cm tall humanoid robot. The softbank.jp specification lists the size as 1210×480×425 mm, and the datasheet lists 1208.5 x 477.2 x 424 mm.

How much does Pepper weigh?

The SoftBank Robotics datasheet lists a weight of 28 kg.

How long does the battery last?

The datasheet gives 12 hours of autonomy in intensive use and 19 hours in standby mode. The battery is a lithium-ion unit listed as 30.0Ah/795Wh.

Which languages does Pepper speak?

Speech synthesis and speech-to-text are available in 12 languages.

How do I program Pepper?

The robot runs NAOqi OS, a Unix based proprietary operating system. Choregraphe, a graphical robotics programming software created by SoftBank Robotics, is the tool listed in the datasheet for building behaviors.

Can Pepper handle ramps, thresholds or rough floors?

The datasheet lists climbing of up to 1.5 cm and a motion speed of up to 2 km/h, so flat indoor floors suit it best.

Where can I buy the Softbank Pepper Wheeled Humanoid Robot and what does it cost?

You can request it through this page, by quotation. The cost is given in the written quotation, together with delivery, customs and support arrangements.

Summary

Pepper is judged by the moment a visitor stops and starts talking, and everything in its specification serves that moment: a 10.1 inch touch display, 20 degrees of freedom, speech in 12 languages and 12 hours of autonomy in intensive use. It is a robot for lobbies, classrooms, laboratories and event floors rather than for heavy work or rough ground. If that matches your project, this page is the starting point.