Its 2015 acquisition of Aldebaran didn’t go as easily as SoftBank hoped. At the time, the French robotics startup was finest recognized for its Nao, which had turn into a reasonably ubiquitous presence in analysis amenities throughout the globe. The small humanoid robotic shaped the muse for the rebranded SoftBank Robotics’ best-known creation, Pepper. Nao largely took a backseat as the corporate pushed to commercialize its new robotic.

At finest, Pepper was a model ambassador, good for holding up signage at airports and eating places. Last June, experiences surfaced that SoftBank was halting manufacturing on Pepper, and in October, it acquired out that the corporate hoped to dump SoftBank Robotics Europe altogether. Earlier this 12 months, German agency United Robotics Group agreed to acquire the division, and in the present day it introduced that it’s bringing again the space-inspired identify.

The newly reconfigured Aldebaran is one in every of eight robotics manufacturers beneath the URG umbrella. Its new mum or dad has promised to “improve our offerings for existing products such as Pepper and Nao.” It provides that SoftBank maintains a vested curiosity within the firm, noting:

SoftBank Robotics Group continues to assist our robotic progress as a shareholder of United Robotics Group and can keep as our Master Distributor in Japan and Asia.

Aldebaran will preserve in headquarters in Paris.