Softbank Pepper Wheeled Humanoid Robot

Most robots are judged by what they can lift, how far they can reach or how quickly they cover a floor. Pepper asks to be judged on something else entirely: whether a stranger walking into a lobby will stop, look it in the eye and start talking. The Softbank Pepper Wheeled Humanoid Robot is built around that moment of contact. It is a 121cm tall humanoid with an expressive head, articulated arms and hands, a touch tablet on its chest and a wheeled base that keeps it steady on indoor floors. It speaks, it listens, it gestures, and it gives people a screen to tap when words are not enough. For organisations that want a robot to meet the public rather than work out of sight, that combination is the whole point.

Robots Europa, based in Dublin, supplies the Softbank Pepper Wheeled Humanoid Robot to businesses, schools, universities and public institutions across the European Union and the DACH region. Robots Europa prepares each quotation, arranges delivery to your site and remains your point of contact for support once Pepper is in service, so that a single European partner handles the project from the first enquiry to the day the robot greets its first visitor.

Background

SoftBank Robotics and the arrival of Pepper

Pepper comes from SoftBank Robotics, the company that publishes the robot's datasheet and its development tools. The manufacturer gives Pepper a birth date of 5 June 2014, and from the outset the robot was conceived for human interaction: vocal conversation supported by a tablet, rather than industrial handling or heavy-duty transport. That design brief explains much of what Pepper is. Its proportions, its moving head and its hands are there to make conversation feel natural, and its software is organised around recognising people, talking with them and presenting content.

Underneath the friendly exterior sits a conventional computing platform. Pepper runs NAOqi OS, a Unix based proprietary operating system, on an ATOM E3845 processor with 4 GB DDR3 of memory. SoftBank Robotics also created Choregraphe, a graphical robotics programming software, so that behaviours can be assembled visually rather than written entirely by hand. For integrators and developers, this pairing of a dedicated operating system and a visual authoring tool is what turns a striking robot into a platform that can be adapted to a specific reception desk, shop floor or classroom.

A humanoid shaped for conversation

Pepper's body is engineered for expression. The robot uses 20 degrees of freedom from its head to its fingertips, which allows it to turn towards a speaker, gesture while it talks and accompany speech with movement. Speech synthesis and speech-to-text are available in 12 languages, a meaningful consideration for European deployments where visitors may arrive speaking German, French, English or another language. The chest-mounted 10.1Inch touch display carries menus, forms, videos and maps, giving each interaction a visual channel alongside the spoken one.

Mobility is deliberately modest. Pepper moves at up to 2 km/h, a walking-pace speed suited to accompanying a person through a building, and it climbs obstacles of up to 1.5 cm, such as thresholds and low floor transitions. The wheeled base is a choice in favour of stability and endurance indoors rather than rough-terrain capability.

Technical Specifications

Specifications are as published by the manufacturer and are 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; Robots Europa confirms these details with your quotation.

How does a wheeled humanoid like Pepper compare with a legged robot?

Legged humanoids attract attention because they walk, but walking brings complexity: balance has to be managed continuously, falls are a real risk in crowded spaces and energy is consumed simply by standing upright. Pepper takes a different route. Its humanoid character lives in the upper body, in the head, arms, hands and tablet, while a wheeled base handles movement. On the flat floors of a lobby, showroom or corridor, that arrangement is calm and predictable.

The practical consequence shows up in endurance. The datasheet lists 12 hours of autonomy in intensive use and 19 hours in standby mode, figures that suit a robot expected to remain on duty through an opening day rather than perform short demonstrations. The trade-off is equally clear: with obstacle climbing of up to 1.5 cm, Pepper belongs indoors, on level surfaces, among people rather than on stairs or outdoor paths. For a buyer whose goal is engagement rather than locomotion, that is usually the right compromise.

What can developers build on NAOqi OS and Choregraphe?

A social robot is only as useful as the behaviours it runs, and Pepper's software stack is designed to make those behaviours achievable for different skill levels. Choregraphe lets a team arrange movements, dialogue and tablet content in a graphical environment, which lowers the threshold for educators, marketing teams and first-time robotics users. More experienced developers work directly with NAOqi OS, the Unix based proprietary system on which the robot runs, and with the ATOM E3845 processor and 4 GB DDR3 behind it.

Connectivity through Wi-Fi IEEE 802.11 a/b/g/n on 2.4GHz and 5GHz allows Pepper to draw content from an organisation's network, so that the information shown on the tablet or spoken aloud can be kept current. Combined with speech in 12 languages, this makes it possible to design a single application that welcomes visitors in several languages and points each one to the right destination.

Who is the Softbank Pepper Wheeled Humanoid Robot for?

The first group is customer-facing organisations: hotels, retail chains, banks, airports, museums and corporate headquarters that want a reception presence which draws people in, answers routine questions and frees staff for conversations that need a human. Pepper's height, its expressive movement and its chest display were designed for exactly this kind of encounter.

The second group is education. Schools, colleges and universities use humanoid robots to teach programming, human-robot interaction and design thinking, and Choregraphe gives students a visual way in before they progress to deeper development work. The third group is research: laboratories studying social robotics, speech interaction or user experience need a recognisable, well-documented platform on which experiments can be repeated.

Finally, there are integrators and agencies who build applications for clients and need a dependable humanoid as the face of their software. The fact sheet for this listing describes a single Pepper platform rather than separate trims, so there is no sibling version to steer towards; buyers comparing Pepper with other robot types can browse the wider Shop category offered by Robots Europa.

What is the Softbank Pepper Wheeled Humanoid Robot used for?

1. Reception and welcome: greeting visitors, answering frequent questions and directing them to the right desk or meeting room.
2. Retail engagement: attracting shoppers, presenting products on the tablet and collecting simple feedback on the shop floor.
3. Multilingual information points: serving international visitors through spoken dialogue in several languages, supported by on-screen content.
4. Teaching robotics and programming: giving students a humanoid they can programme visually in Choregraphe and later through NAOqi OS.
5. Human-robot interaction research: providing a consistent social platform for studies of speech, gesture and user acceptance.
6. Events and exhibitions: acting as a memorable presence at trade fairs, open days and public events, guiding attendees at walking pace.

Pricing and Availability

Robots Europa supplies the Softbank Pepper Wheeled Humanoid Robot on a quotation basis, so that the configuration, software requirements and intended application can be reviewed before an offer is made. Delivery, customs and support are arranged together with your quotation, which keeps the whole project under one agreement. To begin, send your enquiry using the quotation request available on this page.

Frequently Asked Questions

How tall is Pepper?

Pepper is a 121cm tall humanoid robot. The datasheet gives its dimensions as 1208.5 x 477.2 x 424 mm, while the softbank.jp specification lists 1210×480×425 [mm].

How long does Pepper run on a charge?

The SoftBank Robotics datasheet states 12 hours of autonomy in intensive use and 19 hours in standby mode. The charging time has not been published and is confirmed with your quotation.

Which languages does Pepper speak?

Speech synthesis and speech-to-text are available in 12 languages. Robots Europa can confirm which languages are relevant to your deployment when preparing the quotation.

Can Pepper be used outdoors?

Pepper is designed for indoor use on level floors and climbs obstacles of up to 1.5 cm. No IP rating or operating temperature range has been published, so outdoor use should be discussed with Robots Europa before purchase.

How is Pepper programmed?

Pepper runs NAOqi OS, a Unix based proprietary operating system, and can be programmed with Choregraphe, the graphical robotics programming software created by SoftBank Robotics.

What does Pepper weigh?

The SoftBank Robotics datasheet lists a weight of 28 kg.

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

You can buy it from Robots Europa, which supplies customers across the EU and the DACH region from Dublin. The cost depends on configuration, delivery and support, and is set out in a personal quotation that you can request on this page.

Summary

Pepper is not a robot for lifting, sorting or racing across a warehouse. Its value lies in the moment a person decides to engage with it, and every part of its design serves that moment: an expressive body with 20 degrees of freedom, a chest-mounted touch display, speech in 12 languages and a wheeled base that stays steady through long days indoors. Behind it, NAOqi OS and Choregraphe give developers and educators the tools to shape what Pepper says and does. Robots Europa supplies the Softbank Pepper Wheeled Humanoid Robot across the EU and the DACH region, with delivery, customs and support arranged in one quotation. If your goal is a robot that people will actually talk to, this page is the starting point.