Production of Japanese robot Pepper suspended due to lack of demand

The Japanese company Softbank Robotics announced on Tuesday that it has suspended production of the iconic robot Pepper, due to lack of demand and while waiting to reactivate manufacturing, although its distribution does not cease.

"The production of new units of the robot was stopped last summer due to the number of stockpiles, but it is not the end of Pepper," explained the head of communications at Softbank Corporation in statements to Efe.

The popular android was created in 2014 by Japanese technology giant Softbank and has since become the image of the group, which sells it in the local market and also in Europe, the United States and China.

"Pepper is an icon and its sales in the Japanese and international markets continue," said the group's head of communications, who added that distribution based on the rental of units has not ceased, in the hope of changing the business model and being able to "give a new start" to the famous android.

Pepper, the white robot with black spheres equipped with artificial intelligence, began its journey in the Japanese market, where it received customers in the group's phone shops, before soon being used in the education, healthcare and restaurant chains.

Asked how many Peppers are in circulation or in stock to date, the source said that this is a "confidential" figure.

"Softbank Robotics launched this robot, but its termination does not mean the company's termination," said the spokeswoman for the group, which continues to focus on the "development of new robots for other sectors such as cleaning and catering".

In the Japanese archipelago, Pepper is used in Nescafé outlets and Nissan dealerships, as well as in a dozen branches of the Mizuho bank and in the Hamazushi restaurant chain, where the curvaceous robot welcomes customers and facilitates table reservations.

Pepper has also revolutionised the concept of the robot-staffed coffee shop in Tokyo, a showcase strategy that Softbank has used to market these automatons in bars and restaurants across the country.

During the pandemic, the humanoid has collaborated and diversified its functions, taking the temperature and remembering to use a mask or hand hygiene.

In the short life of this humanoid, initiatives have arisen to incorporate it in Spain, including in 2018 in two hospitals in Barcelona to apply artificial intelligence in health and with tasks such as identifying the mood of patients and interacting in several languages. Also last May, the European Museum of Modern Art (MEAM) in Barcelona announced its intention to incorporate the robot as a guide and enrich visitors' experiences.