SoftBank Group acquires Aldebaran Robotics

SoftBank Group is a Japanese multinational conglomerate and investment holding company headquartered in Tokyo, founded in 1981 by [Masayoshi Son](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Masayoshi_Son). Through its SoftBank Vision Funds and direct holdings, it is one of the world's largest technology investors, with major stakes in [OpenAI](https://openai.com), Arm Holdings, and historically [Boston Dynamics](/companies/boston-dynamics). The group operates SoftBank Robotics, which developed the Pepper humanoid social robot, and has committed over 30B USD to AI infrastructure and OpenAI investments

Pepper is a semi-humanoid robot manufactured by Aldebaran Robotics (formerly SoftBank Robotics Europe, now part of [United robotics group](/companies/united-robotics-group)), designed to read emotions and interact with humans in retail, banking, hospitality, and healthcare settings. Unveiled in Tokyo in June 2014 by SoftBank founder Masayoshi Son, Pepper was the first commercial robot marketed as having a heart, with approximately 27,000 units produced before manufacturing was paused in 2020-2021 due to weak demand. Aldebaran Robotics was acquired by SoftBank in 2012 for USD 100 million, rebranded as SoftBank Robotics in 2016, sold to United Robotics Group in 2022, and rebranded back to Aldebaran before entering receivership in 2025.