SoftBank Robotics
The world's most widely deployed humanoid robotics company — Pepper and NAO have shaped how the world imagines human-robot interaction.
The company that made humanoid robots socially real — 27,000 Peppers and a generation of NAO researchers.
SoftBank Robotics was founded in 2012 as the robotics subsidiary of SoftBank Group, the Japanese technology conglomerate that also owns Arm Holdings and has invested across the global technology landscape. From inception, SoftBank Robotics took a different strategic position to any competitor: rather than targeting industrial productivity, it pursued emotional engagement — building robots designed to interact with humans in retail, hospitality, healthcare, and education environments. The approach culminated in Pepper, a 121 cm humanoid with a tablet chest interface, emotion recognition, and a gentle physical design that made it non-threatening to untrained members of the public.
Over 27,000 Pepper units have been deployed across 70+ countries — in Nestlé shops in Japan, HSBC branches in Hong Kong, hospitals in France, and government service counters in Singapore. This deployment scale, achieved without the technical rigours of industrial robotics, taught SoftBank Robotics something no competitor laboratory could replicate: a decade of longitudinal data on how real members of the public actually interact with humanoid robots, what triggers engagement versus avoidance, and how service contexts shape interaction design. NAO, the 58 cm research and education platform, became even more influential in academic terms: over 10,000 units deployed globally made NAO the world's most widely used robot in university robotics courses and international RoboCup competitions.
The Astro concept, announced in 2025, signals a strategic pivot toward industrial service applications — warehouse order picking and hospital logistics — with a full-size form factor designed to bridge SoftBank's consumer-facing heritage with the industrial humanoid market now being contested by Chinese and Korean competitors. With Whiz already generating commercial cleaning revenue across Asia, SoftBank Robotics is assembling a portfolio that spans the spectrum from social interaction to autonomous service operations.
Robot Models
The world's most deployed social humanoid. Pepper's 121 cm form, tablet chest interface, emotion recognition, and four-directional microphone array made it the definitive platform for human-robot interaction in public environments. Over 27,000 units have operated in retail, hospitality, healthcare, and government service contexts across 70+ countries. Its omnidirectional wheel base and non-threatening design enabled deployments impossible for any industrial robot.
The world's most popular research and education humanoid robot, with over 10,000 units deployed in universities and research institutions globally. NAO's 58 cm bipedal form, 25 degrees of freedom, and comprehensive sensor suite — cameras, microphones, sonar, bumpers — have made it the standard platform for international RoboCup competitions and undergraduate robotics courses. Its SDK supports Python, C++, and visual programming, making it accessible from secondary school to doctoral research.
SoftBank Robotics' autonomous commercial cleaning robot, deployed across office buildings, airports, and retail spaces throughout Asia. Whiz navigates complex indoor environments using AI-powered mapping and obstacle detection, learns floor plans on first-pass operation, and generates cleaning analytics for facility management teams. Already a revenue-generating commercial product across Japan, Singapore, and Southeast Asia.
SoftBank Robotics' next-generation full-size industrial service humanoid, announced in 2025. Designed for warehouse order picking and hospital logistics, Astro marks a deliberate pivot from social robots to industrial utility — entering the category being contested by Chinese and Korean humanoid manufacturers. Its tall full-size form factor and logistics-first design signal SoftBank's intent to compete with its own hardware in the emerging industrial humanoid market.
Is this your company?
Keep your SoftBank Robotics profile accurate and up to date for the APAC humanoid community.
Claim or Update This ListingList your brand for free →