TOKYO — SoftBank Group’s robotics arm has halted production of the Pepper humanoid robot owing to weak demand.
The artificial-intelligence-equipped robot was marketed to stores and other customer-facing jobs in such markets as Japan, China, Europe and the U.S. But production halted last summer as inventories piled up, Nikkei has learned.
Taiwan’s Hon Hai Precision Industry, also known as Foxconn, has manufactured the robots. Pepper went on sale in Japan in 2015 and is currently leased to corporate clients. Consumers can buy one for 217,800 yen ($1,970).
“We plan to resume production if demand recovers,” a SoftBank Robotics Group official said, denying that the plug has been pulled on Pepper.
The Tokyo-based robotics unit, which has development and sales sites around the world, is looking to cut its workforce in France. While the scale and timing of the personnel adjustment has not been finalized, the company said that it will continue to focus on the robot business.
In Japan, SoftBank Robotics established a joint venture with electronics maker Iris Ohyama in February to develop and sell robots such for serving food and other commercial uses, with a target to log cumulative sales of 100 billion yen by 2025.
Reuters earlier reported on SoftBank’s plans, including Pepper production.
