SoftBank Hunts for Humanoid Robot Startups

SoftBank’s Masayoshi Son has long predicted a future where robots would outnumber people and take over many jobs from humans. But some of SoftBank’s bets in robotics over the past 10 years, such as robot companion Pepper, have not panned out. Now the company is renewing its robot ambitions—particularly in robots that resemble humans.

Late last year Son met with representatives from Agility Robotics, a 10-year-old startup led by former Microsoft executive Peggy Johnson that is developing humanoid robots to move boxes in warehouses and perform other industrial tasks, according to a person with knowledge of the conversation. During the meeting, the attendees discussed the possibility of SoftBank acquiring Agility for at least $900 million, this person said.