Robotics

Meet the Robots of Smart City Takeshiba, Part 3: Moving Vending Machine Robots

After spending some time in the country, one thing that many visitors to Japan immediately notice is the large number of vending machines. According to Statista, at the end of 2022 there were close to 4 million vending machines in the nati…

SoftBank Corp. and Partners Utilize Spatial IDs to Optimize Map Creation Process for Delivery Robots

As Japan’s birth rate declines and its population ages, a shortage of delivery workers looms while the need for deliveries has increased as more people find it difficult to shop at physical stores. Against this backdrop, autonomous deliver…

Pepper Celebrates Eighth Birthday in Style at Professional Dance Competition

One June 5, 2022, Pepper—the world's first social humanoid robot capable of recognizing faces and basic human emotions—celebrated eight years since first coming to life in 2014. It wasn’t a normal birthday, however. Pepper marked the occas…

Meet the Robots of Smart City Takeshiba, Part 2: A Self-driving Robot that Delivers 7-ELEVEN Snacks and Drinks to Employees

SoftBank Corp.'s (TOKYO: 9434) new headquarters is located in the Takeshiba District of Tokyo, an area designated as a National Strategic Special Zone by the Japanese government to test and deploy cutting-edge technologies. It's here in Ta…

Meet the Robots of Smart City Takeshiba, Part 1: A Delivery Robot that Obeys Traffic Signals

SoftBank Corp.'s (TOKYO: 9434) new headquarters is located in the Takeshiba District of Tokyo, an area designated as a National Strategic Special Zone by the Japanese government to test and deploy cutting-edge technologies. It’s here in Ta…

SoftBank R&D: Evaluating the Latest Technologies with a View to Commercialization

Constantly taking up new challenges and continuing to evolve are key to SoftBank’s DNA. Going beyond the boundaries of a telecommunications carrier, SoftBank Corp. (TOKYO: 9434) is committed to pioneering transformative services, and resea…

It Moves! 18-meter “Moving Gundam” Robot Revealed in Yokohama with Virtual Cockpit Powered by SoftBank 5G

Since it launched on the airwaves in 1979, the anime series “Mobile Suit Gundam” has built a dedicated following in Japan, and across the world as well. It has long been a dream of Gundam fans to see the gigantic manned humanoid machine fr…

That’s Robot Entertainment! “Pepper” and “Spot” Team Up to Cheer on the SoftBank HAWKS

After an almost three month delay caused by the spread of COVID-19, professional baseball in Japan this season got off to a start in June, first with empty stadiums and then limited spectator admittance from July 10 in line with government…

Happy 6th Birthday, Pepper!

June 5 is a very special day. Why? Because it’s Pepper’s birthday! Since Pepper’s unveiling in 2014, Pepper has come a long way. In Japan, Pepper can be found in homes, at retail establishments, restaurants, medical institutions and care f…

Pepper PARLOR: A Unique Café Experience in the Heart of Tokyo

Not far from the hustle and bustle of Shibuya’s “Scramble Square,” one of the busiest pedestrian crossings in the world, lies “Pepper PARLOR,” a café that offers a completely new dining experience. Pepper PARLOR is nestled among the array …