The verified answer
As of Sep 2026, DEPLOY verifies SoftBank Robotics: 1 model, 1 deployment across 1 region. 7 sources back the record.
Overview
SoftBank Robotics is a division of Softbank group developing humanoid and service robots. Products include Pepper (social humanoid), NAO (education humanoid), and Whiz (autonomous cleaning robot). Pioneered social robotics and commercial cleaning automation.
Verified record
- Verified deployments
- 1 deployment on file
- Active incidents
- None on file
Key facts
Focus
Robot
Technology
Scale
Acquired by
Current status
Key products
Strategy shifted
Parent
Pioneered
Data & sources
Patent documents
5
Web sources
2
7 sources backing this record.View all →
Models (1)
View all models →Partnerships
Every company SoftBank Robotics has built with, alongside the ones only announced in a press release.
Most-frequent partners
- 1Brain Corp1× joint6 total
- 2Gaussian Robotics1× joint1 total
Most recent
- Gaussian Robotics x SoftBank Robotics2021-11-11with Gaussian Roboticsoperating
- Brain Corp x SoftBank Robotics2019-01-01with Brain Corpoperating
SoftBank Robotics on the deployment map
View the global map1 verified deployment across 1 region, newest verified Jun 2024. Explore where SoftBank Robotics's robots are operating, by place and type.
View the full SoftBank Robotics deployment record →
Relationships
Explainers
Plain-language answers to the questions people ask about SoftBank Robotics, from DEPLOY’s explainer library. Each is written in the language of the question and cross-checked against this registry.
What are commercial cleaning robots and how do they work?
What is Brain Corp BrainOS and which cleaning robots use it?
What is SoftBank Robotics Whiz and how does it clean?
Founders (1)
- Bruno Maisonniersolefounded 2005-01-01no longer at company
later founded SoftBank Robotics (Pepper), NAO Robot, Aldebaran Robotics
Former / Previously (2)
- Kaname Hayashi Robot Development Leader (Pepper)2014 to 2015reported, not verified
- Bruno Maisonnier Founder (Aldebaran Robotics)2005 to 2017secondary-verified
Safety record
No incidents on record for SoftBank Robotics.
Only active incidents are counted. Retracted incidents are excluded from this summary but remain reachable at their canonical URLs.
Full safety record: incidents, sourcing, and exposure data →
Operator customers (1)
- SoftBank Robotics1 deployment
Recent coverage
SoftBank Robotics in third-party press
Peers
147 peers across 2 segments. Every SoftBank Robotics competitor derived from shared form-factor and application-domain edges.
service(144)
113 companies in this segment · competitive (HHI 831.3520919269878) · leader Bond at 1957%
cleaning robot(3)
- Gausiumdirect competitor(reported)strong
- ICE Coboticsdirect competitor(reported)moderate
- LionsBotdirect competitor(reported)moderate
Supplied by (1)
Foundation model / software
- Brain Corpvia SoftBank WhizBrainOS autonomous-navigation platformlicenses
Inbound supply edges feeding this company directly or via the models it owns. Same source bar as the outbound view (verified against at least two strong sources).
Financial state
- Reporting basis
- aggregator_estimate
- Lifecycle stage
- mature
- Counterparty risk class
- low
Each numeric field carries its own basis marker. Aggregators report a number; this surface preserves the source class so verification depth travels with the value.
Partnerships
2 total · 2 operating
Every company SoftBank Robotics has built with, alongside the ones only announced in a press release.
Most recent
- Gaussian Robotics x SoftBank Robotics2021-11-11with Gaussian Roboticsoperating
- Brain Corp x SoftBank Robotics2019-01-01with Brain Corpoperating
Most-frequent partners
- 1Brain Corp1× joint6 total
- 2Gaussian Robotics1× joint1 total
Patent estate (5)
- US10232508B2usptograntedgranted 2019-03-19assignee
- US20170120446A1usptopendingassignee
- US4638445Ausptograntedgranted 1987-01-20assignee
- EP2386924A1epopendingassignee
- US20140039680A1usptopendingassignee
Timeline
Every recorded move in SoftBank Robotics’s history, most recent first: funding rounds, partnerships, acquisitions, supply-chain starts, key hires, and press.
New supplierNew supplier: Nidec Corporation
2026-08-23Supply: Servo motors for Pepper joints from Nidec Corporation
New supplierNew supplier: SoftBank Group
2026-08-23Supply: Cloud services and AI platform from SoftBank Group
New supplierNew supplier: NVIDIA
2026-08-23Supply: GPU for vision processing from NVIDIA
New supplierNew supplier: Qualcomm
2026-08-23Supply: Snapdragon SoC for Pepper/NAO from Qualcomm
PartnershipGaussian Robotics x SoftBank Robotics
2021-11-11SoftBank Robotics partnered with Gaussian Robotics for global go-to-market initiatives, distributing Gausium cleaning robots in Japan (2,000+ Phantas units) and other international markets. SoftBank Vision Fund 2 also led the $188M Series C investment.
PartnershipBrain Corp x SoftBank Robotics
2019-01-01SoftBank Robotics' Whiz autonomous commercial vacuum is powered by Brain Corp's BrainOS navigation platform, an OEM technology partnership embedding Brain Corp autonomy into SoftBank's cleaning robot.
Key hireBruno Maisonnier joins as Founder (Aldebaran Robotics)
2005-01-01Bruno Maisonnier appointed Founder (Aldebaran Robotics)
Recent activity
Every change to this record is dated, sourced, and independently verified where marked.
- Verified media addedVerifiedJun 6, 2026
SoftBank Whiz autonomous vacuum
- Record createdJun 6, 2026
Added to the verified registry
- Deployment verifiedVerifiedJun 1, 2024
SoftBank Whiz at United States
Sources (2)
Common questions
What is SoftBank Robotics?
What does SoftBank Robotics make?
Is SoftBank Robotics publicly traded?
Who competes with SoftBank Robotics?
Who is the CEO of SoftBank Robotics?
How can I invest in SoftBank Robotics?
Where is SoftBank Robotics headquartered?
Who owns SoftBank Robotics?
Where does SoftBank Robotics operate robots?
How many robots has SoftBank Robotics deployed?
Is SoftBank Robotics a top robotics company?
When was SoftBank Robotics founded?
Is SoftBank Robotics safe?
Methodology: Verified · 2 sources (no primary) · last reviewed 2026-08-21
Verification posture
Verified
Low confidence
Review state
Stable
Last reviewed 2026-08-21
Sources by quality tier
- 2
- unclassified
- Unclassified source
The framework is documented at /methodology. Corrections at /corrections. Reviewer: DEPLOY editorial team.
Methodology surface for SoftBank Robotics.Peer companies
- Gausium3 models
- Avidbots2 models
- Pudu Robotics2 models
- Tennant Company2 models
- Ecoppia1 model
- Enway1 model
In the press
Recent coverage mentioning SoftBank Robotics from third-party publications. Automatically surfaced; not part of the verified registry record.
Robot Cleaning Fleets Take Off: Flagship and SoftBank Robotics America Scale Airport Automation to 200+ Robots
Airport floors are getting a lot more help these days, and it's coming from machines. Flagship Aviation Services and SoftBank Robotics America announced that they've significantly…
SoftBank starts mass production of AI robots - Tech in Asia
<a…
SoftBank Robotics Commences Mass Production - 36Kr
<a href="https://news.google.com/rss/articles/CBMiU0FVX3lxTE9VV2thOElSdjFCWC1uNUtsVmlFZ3RCaHBxME43NV95ZmUteEctb0ZkYnBsRzZyZUJ3ZjN6dnd4NVh5eUcxVGNHSzRVUm5pdF8yNXpV?oc=5"…
Icetana AI Signs Distribution Agreement With Softbank Robotics America - TradingView
<a…
Icetana Extends SoftBank Robotics Distribution Partnership into Americas - smallcaps.com.au
<a…
SoftBank Pepper Review [2026]: Verdict, Strengths & Limitations - RoboZaps
<a…
SOFTBANK ROBOTICS AMERICA AND DIRECT SUPPLY EXPAND STRATEGIC PARTNERSHIP FOR SENIOR LIVING COMMUNITIES - PR Newswire
<a…
SoftBank Robotics: Autonomous Cooking Robots “STEAMA” and “FLAMA” to Debut in the U.S. - Business Wire
<a…
SoftBank’s $100B Roze IPO: Robots to Build AI Data Centers - tech-insider.org
<a…
SoftBank looks to form robotics unit focused on data center construction - report - Data Center Dynamics
<a…
Matternet and SoftBank Robotics America Partner to Scale Drone Delivery Networks - Dronelife
<a…
Matternet and SoftBank Robotics America Announce Strategic Partnership to Scale Drone Delivery Networks - Business Wire
<a…
Machine-readable surfaces
- Markdown mirror: /companies/softbank-robotics.md
- RSS feed: /companies/softbank-robotics/feed.xml
- JSON-LD: embedded in this page’s head
- REST API: /v1/companies/dc90f3a2-c89c-4a16-b476-395812829f14
- Revision history: /companies/softbank-robotics/history
- Data documentation: /data
- Query this programmatically: Deploy MCP
Peer companies
- Gausium3 models
- Avidbots2 models
- Pudu Robotics2 models
- Tennant Company2 models
- Ecoppia1 model
- Enway1 model
Video
Heat Index
Serious54/100
A composite of competitive footprint, funding, press velocity, active partnerships, and supply-chain edges. Different from the Intelligence score below (which is per-form-factor productization). Non-robotics companies cap at 25.
Reality vs attention
SoftBank Robotics draws attention at the 87th percentile but verifies reality at the 21st percentile among commercial_cleaning robots. Hype Gap +66, 2nd widest among commercial_cleaning robots.
6-month trend
Analysis
Clean safety record across 1 verified deployment. Meaningful press and media coverage across the period. Deployment footprint remains limited relative to category peers.
Signal flags
Dimension breakdown
Verified signal
Attention (reach, not merit)
DEPLOY Intelligence scores are computed from verified registry data: confirmed deployments, disclosed funding rounds, regulatory filings, active job listings, video viewership, and press coverage. Confidence ratings reflect data availability. Scores update nightly.
DEPLOY Indices — verified vs claimed
Last computed: Sep 4, 2026