Pepper is a semi-humanoid robot developed by Aldebaran Robotics (formerly SoftBank Robotics Europe) and introduced in 2014. Designed for social interaction, Pepper can recognize faces, detect human emotions, and engage in conversation. It features speech recognition in 15 languages, along with touch sensors, cameras, infrared sensors, and sonars, allowing for autonomous navigation and multimodal interaction. While not intended for household tasks, Pepper is widely used as an interactive assistant in businesses, education, and research.

First showcased in Tokyo on June 5, 2014, Pepper quickly gained attention, selling out 1,000 units in just 60 seconds when sales launched in 2015. It later expanded to Europe, the UK, and North America, where it was deployed in offices, banks, medical facilities, and retail stores to greet and assist visitors. By 2021, approximately 27,000 units had been produced before SoftBank paused production due to declining demand.

Pepper has played a key role in education and research, particularly in studies on human-robot interaction. It has also been used in elderly care projects, such as CARESSES, which focused on creating culturally aware robotic companions for senior care. Many universities and businesses have developed custom applications, making Pepper a versatile platform for social and commercial robotics.

With 20 degrees of freedom for natural movement and an open, programmable platform, Pepper remains a valuable tool in robotics research. Despite production halts, its influence on social robotics and AI-driven interaction continues to shape the future of human-friendly technology.