Nao

Overview

The NAO robot from Aldebaran (now distributed by SoftBank Robotics) is the world's most widely deployed educational humanoid robot, used in universities, research institutes, and special educational needs schools in over 70 countries including the UK. Standing 574 mm tall with a 90-minute runtime and 25 degrees of freedom, NAO is capable of walking, gesturing, speaking, recognising faces and objects, and interacting with humans in structured scenarios.

NAO was originally developed in France and remains a European product with a strong academic support ecosystem. The Choreographe visual programming environment and Python SDK have been used by hundreds of thousands of students globally, and a vast library of curriculum materials, research papers, and community-developed applications exist for the platform.

Key Specifications

• Height: 574 mm
• DoF: 25
• Runtime: 90 minutes
• Price: $16,990 (SoftBank/Aldebaran list)
• Programming: Choreographe visual IDE, Python SDK, C++ API
• Age range: Secondary school through postgraduate research

Use Cases

NAO is used in UK secondary schools as a STEM engagement tool, in special educational needs settings as an educational companion for children with autism spectrum conditions (extensive ASD therapy research has been conducted with NAO in UK universities), and in university robotics and AI departments for human-robot interaction research.

The humanoid form factor and speech capabilities make NAO effective in curriculum contexts where engagement and emotional connection with the robot support learning outcomes, a characteristic that distinguishes it from purely mechanical educational arms or wheeled robots.

Buying Used

A secondary market exists, with used NAO units regularly appearing through eBay, specialist robotics dealers, and university equipment disposals. Prices for used NAO v5 and v6 units range from £3,000 to £9,000 depending on condition. Battery health, joint motor condition, and software version compatibility are the key inspection points. SoftBank Robotics UK can confirm whether software licences are transferable.

Alternatives to Consider

SoftBank Robotics NAO v6 (reviewed separately) is the current production version. For universities focused on programming education without humanoid mobility, Elephant Robotics myCobot 280 offers robot arm education at a fraction of the cost. Pepper is the larger SoftBank social robot for public-facing applications.