Pepper vs Superman
Compare Pepper (SoftBank Robotics) and Superman (Unitree Robotics) side by side: degrees of freedom, weight, payload, battery life, actuators, and status.
| Spec | Pepper | Superman |
|---|---|---|
| Manufacturer | SoftBank Robotics | Unitree Robotics |
| Category | Humanoid | Humanoid |
| Country | Japan | China |
| Degrees of freedom | 17 | 20 |
| Weight (kg) | 28 | 45 |
| Battery life (h) | 12 | 1.5 |
| Payload | N/A (no arms lifting) | |
| Max speed | 1.0 m/s | 12.66 m/s |
| Actuators | Brushless DC Servo Motors | in-house high-torque-density PMSM joint motors with planetary reduction / quasi-direct drive |
| Primary sensor | Stereo cameras + 3D Depth Sensor + 4x Microphones | |
| Function | Social interaction | experimental platform for dynamic locomotion research |
| Released | 2014 | 2026 |
| Status | Active | Testing |
Verdict
Neither platform leads on the weighted specifications; the choice comes down to which dimensions matter for the job.
Pepper leads on price ($1,500 vs 55000) and battery life (12 h vs 1.5 h).
Superman leads on degrees of freedom (20 vs 17) and max speed (12.66 m/s vs 1.0 m/s).
Left out because at least one manufacturer does not publish a figure: payload.
Pepper
A social humanoid designed for human interaction in retail, hospitality, and healthcare settings. Pepper detects faces, recognizes emotions, and engages in natural conversation with multi-language speech synthesis.
Superman
Unitree's Superman is a prototype humanoid robot developed in just over three months, capable of a 2-meter standing high jump and top speed of 12.66 m/s. It serves as an experimental platform focused on highly dynamic lower-body locomotion without hands or grippers.