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Incident · Malfunction

Pepper robots reported to make mechanical errors, take unplanned breaks, and fail to recognize previously-met people

SoftBank's Pepper robot allegedly kept making mechanical errors, taking unplanned breaks, failing to recognize previously-met people, and breaking down during customer interactions. These reliability issues contributed to weak demand and the eventual halt of production.

Occurred 2021-06-28 · Pepper · SoftBank Robotics (Pepper) · Humanoids

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Incident records on DEPLOY are compiled from public sources (regulatory filings, news reports, and operator disclosures) and reflect what has been reported and tracked to date. They are not legal findings, determinations of fault, or safety ratings, and may be updated as new information is verified. See the sources below for the underlying references.
Track Pepper robots reported to make mechanical errors, take unplanned breaks, and fail to recognize previously-met people

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Sources (1)

  1. https://incidentdatabase.ai/cite/152/ · 2021-06-28

Common questions

What happened in Pepper robots reported to make mechanical errors, take unplanned breaks, and fail to recognize previously-met people?
SoftBank's Pepper robot allegedly kept making mechanical errors, taking unplanned breaks, failing to recognize previously-met people, and breaking down during customer interactions. These reliability issues contributed to weak demand and the eventual halt of production.
When did this incident occur?
The incident is recorded as occurring on June 28, 2021 on the DEPLOY registry. The date reflects the underlying real-world event, not the registry record's creation date.
What robot was involved in Pepper robots reported to make mechanical errors, take unplanned breaks, and fail to recognize previously-met people?
Pepper by SoftBank Robotics (Pepper) is the recorded robot involved in this incident.
Has anyone responded to Pepper robots reported to make mechanical errors, take unplanned breaks, and fail to recognize previously-met people?
No responses to this incident are recorded on the DEPLOY registry. Operators, manufacturers, or affected parties can submit responses to the editorial team; absence is not a guarantee no response was issued.
What is the current status of Pepper robots reported to make mechanical errors, take unplanned breaks, and fail to recognize previously-met people?
This incident is an active record on the DEPLOY registry; no retraction or correction has been issued.
Methodology: Verified · 1 source (no primary) · last reviewed 2026-08-09

Verification posture

Verified

Low confidence

Review state

Stable

Last reviewed 2026-08-09

Sources by quality tier

1
unclassified
Unclassified source

The framework is documented at /methodology. Corrections at /corrections. Reviewer: DEPLOY editorial team.

Methodology surface for Pepper robots reported to make mechanical errors, take unplanned breaks, and fail to recognize previously-met people.

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Canonical ID a18f2b73-2c5d-4579-898c-faeb67110955