SoftBank Robotics / Aldebaran (Japan/France) Pepper (1)

SoftBank Robotics / Aldebaran (Japan/France) Pepper (2)

Was ¥198,000 (Japan, 2015) + monthly planConsumer price required a multi-year data/insurance plan; business and education editions cost more

Discontinued · used/leftover onlyPython from a laptopSemi-humanoidNAOqi PythonIconic

Weeks+Shipping: Weeks (used). Refurbished and used units sell through robot resellers and eBay, often several thousand dollars (est.); check NAOqi version compatibility.

Remote control: The NAOqi Python SDK (Python 2.7 for NAOqi 2.5) connects to the robot over the network; Choregraphe offers a visual editor.

Wikipedia ↗Maxtronics (ex-Aldebaran) support ↗

Overview

The most widely deployed humanoid-looking social robot. An estimated 27,000 were built for SoftBank stores, banks and classrooms, with a real Python SDK shared with NAO. SoftBank paused production in June 2021 amid weak demand. Aldebaran (sold to United Robotics Group in 2022) entered receivership in June 2025, and in July 2025 China's Maxvision bought its assets and formed Maxtronics, which continues NAO but does not list Pepper for sale. Research labs still use it, and refurbished units circulate.

Specifications

Category	Companion robots · Desk & social robots
Released	2014
Availability	Discontinued · used/leftover only
Programmability	Full SDK
Best for	Professionals & labs
Vision sensors	Camera, Depth camera, Lidar, Sonar / ultrasonic
Actuators	Unknown
Audio	Speaker, Microphone
Compute type	x86 PC (Intel / AMD)
Remote control	Python from a laptop
Size	120 cm tall, ~28 kg
Drive	Three omni-wheels
Compute	Intel Atom (NAOqi OS; Android tablet on later versions)
Vision	2 × 2D cameras + 3D depth sensor
Lidar	Laser line sensors + sonars in the base
Sensors	Touch sensors on head and hands, 4 mics, bumpers, 10.1" chest tablet
Runtime	~12 h (claimed)
Speed	~3 km/h (capped)
SDK	NAOqi SDK (Python, C++), Choregraphe; later Android SDK (NAOqi 2.9)