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NAO

by SoftBank Robotics

World reference educational humanoid robot. Deployed in 70+ countries, 13,000+ universities. De facto standard for robotics education.

Viability score
55/100
Viable with reservations
RoboSelect360 methodology v3.1
6 criteria · Verified sources
RoboSelect360 analyst note
Global standard for robotics education since 2008. Present in 70+ countries and 13,000+ institutions. Proven long-term reliability. Mature Choregraphe software ecosystem. Not evaluated for industrial deployment — viability score reflects the educational and research positioning.
Detailed scoring — 6 criteria
Technical specifications
Strengths
✓ World educational leader: 13,000+ institutions, 70+ countries — international reference since 2006
✓ Accessible programming: Choregraphe (visual), Python, C++ — suitable for all levels
✓ Proven robustness: 6 successive versions (NAO v6 current) — ultra-reliable design
✓ Multilingual: 20+ languages integrated, advanced speech recognition
✓ Rich ecosystem: Thousands of tutorials, active community, complete documentation
Limitations
! High price for education: €6,000–12,000 — significant budget for institutions
! 90 min battery life: Frequent recharging required
! Dated technology: 2006 architecture — outperformed in computing power by recent robots
! Height 58 cm: Interaction with real-world objects is difficult
Documented deployments
13,000+ academic institutions — Worldwide
2008 → ongoing
Universities, secondary schools and research centres in 70+ countries. International reference for robotics and AI education.
RoboCup Standard Platform League
2008 → ongoing
Official robot of the RoboCup standard platform league. Annual international competitions.
Autism therapy — University hospitals and specialist centres
2012 → ongoing
Documented therapeutic use with children with autism. Independently published clinical studies.
Target sectors
Compatible environments
Main use cases
Sources
SoftBank Robotics official standardbots.com 2026
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