Pepper Recognized by Guinness World Records as the World’s First Mass-Produced Humanoid!
SoftBank Robotics Corp. has announced that its humanoid robot “Pepper,” which has been a beloved figure for over 10 years since its launch, has been officially certified by Guinness World Records as the world’s first mass-produced humanoid service robot. This recognition comes 11 years after Pepper’s creation on June 5, 2014, marking a significant milestone in its continuous evolution.
Today, SoftBank Robotics also introduced “Pepper+” (Pepper Plus), an enhanced version of Pepper equipped with the latest AI and video analysis technologies. Pepper+, which has evolved into an AI agent robot, is designed to “capture hearts and move people” through its advanced AI capabilities. The tablet interface has also been revamped, facilitating easier app development and enabling flexible and rapid deployment tailored to various customer needs.
Expanding Applications with New AI-Powered Solutions
SoftBank Robotics is rolling out numerous AI-powered robot applications, initially focusing on the retail industry. These solutions aim to leverage Pepper+’s enhanced communication skills and technological advancements. “Pepper+” is set to deliver new value to society by providing solutions across various sectors, including tourism, healthcare, and nursing care.
AI Customer Service Agent
This solution utilizes the latest AI to manage customer attraction, service, and promotion comprehensively. Equipped with a camera, Pepper+ recognizes individuals, engages them with appealing greetings, and offers optimal product suggestions based on their attire and conversation content.
To enhance its conversational abilities, the “AI Customer Service Agent” incorporates communication techniques from professional demo salespeople, recreated by AI with the cooperation of KODEKA Inc. KODEKA, a company comprising comedians, former comedians, and broadcast writers, specializes in achieving “fun-selling” by combining comedic thinking with consumer psychology. Their professional demo salespeople, known as “Jitsuen Shoubaishi®,” have a proven track record from approximately 3,000 events annually.
Pepper+ has even joined KODEKA as an “Apprentice Jitsuen Shoubaishi®,” aiming to excel in customer interaction from calling out to product explanation at the forefront of sales floors.
Pilot Case: Pepper PARLOR
At “Pepper PARLOR” on the 5th floor of Tokyu Plaza Shibuya, the AI Customer Service Agent offers personalized suggestions for the popular “all-you-can-eat freshly baked bread” menu, recommending the best bread from about 30 varieties to each customer. This provides a new “dining experience” tailored to visitors.
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Pepper PARLOR Information:
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Address: 5F Tokyu Plaza Shibuya, 1-2-3 Dogenzaka, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo
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Hours: 11:00 AM – 10:00 PM (Operating hours may vary depending on circumstances. Please check the Tabelog page for the latest information.)
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Office Access Control Solution
This solution, jointly developed with KOKUYO Co., Ltd. and TIGEREYE Co., Ltd., combines face recognition technology with smart keys for office access control. Pepper+ stationed at the entrance performs face authentication for visitors and employees. Based on the authentication information, it assists with smooth entry and exit by communicating and guiding them. This system not only eliminates the need for employee IDs or keys but also provides a smarter and more comfortable office environment through natural communication tailored to visitors.
The solution has been pre-installed at KOKUYO’s “KOKUYO OPEN LAB.”, a hub for practicing future work styles, where it is being utilized in a demo exhibition as part of advanced technological verification aimed at transforming work methods.
Impromptu Photographer
“Impromptu Photographer” is an entertainment application installed in hotels and tourist facilities, offering visitors a way to create travel memories. Users can take their photos with Pepper’s camera, have them converted to an anime style by AI, and combine them with backgrounds of tourist spots or stores and custom dialogue to create a unique image. The generated images can be saved to smartphones via a QR code. Future plans include offering this as a promotional tool for products or as entertainment content at event venues.
Your Story Musical
With “Your Story Musical,” Pepper engages in conversation with users, then uses AI to generate lyrics, melody, and dance on the spot, performing an original musical based on their story.
Pepper Game Center
“Pepper Game Center” offers a variety of games that merge learning and play, providing new interactive experiences. These include “Sabimelo Don!” where players guess song titles from the chorus of popular songs sung by Pepper, “3 Hints de Pon!” which tests thinking and intuition to deduce answers from three hints provided by Pepper, the simple yet engaging classic “O/X Quiz,” and the “World Capital Quiz” where players identify capitals of various countries.
Both “Impromptu Photographer” and “Your Story Musical” are available for trial at the casual dining restaurant “Pepper PARLOR” on the 5th floor of Tokyu Plaza Shibuya. These are initial introductions and will be refined for full deployment in the future.
About SoftBank Robotics Corp.
SoftBank Robotics has been a pioneer in humanoid robotics, launching “Pepper” in 2014, followed by cleaning robots in 2018, serving and delivery robots in 2021, and logistics automation solutions in 2022. Leveraging the insights and operational data gained from handling a diverse range of products, the company provides solutions for effective robot implementation, acting as a leading Robot Integrator (RI). With 21 bases in 9 countries worldwide, SoftBank Robotics utilizes this global network, extensive experience, and vast operational data to pursue Robot Transformation (RX) and advance towards a society where humans and robots coexist.
