NAO v6

Overview

The SoftBank Robotics NAO v6 is the current production version of the world's most widely used educational humanoid robot, standing 580 mm with 25 degrees of freedom and a 60-minute runtime. Priced at $9,000, the v6 updates the earlier NAO v5 with improved processing capability, more responsive joint control, and better speech recognition. NAO has been deployed in schools, universities, research institutes, and special educational needs settings in over 70 countries, making it the reference platform for educational humanoid robotics globally.

In the UK, NAO v6 is used extensively in university human-robot interaction research, autism spectrum condition therapy research, and as a computing and engineering engagement tool in secondary schools. SoftBank Robotics provides an education programme specifically developed for the UK curriculum, with lesson plans aligned to computing, design and technology, and PSHE.

Key Specifications

• Height: 580 mm
• DoF: 25
• Runtime: 60 minutes
• Price: $9,000 (approximately £8,000 to £9,000 in the UK)
• Programming: Choreographe visual IDE, Python SDK, C++ API, NAOqi framework
• Age range: Secondary school through postgraduate research

Use Cases

NAO v6 is used in UK secondary schools as a STEM engagement and computing education tool, with Choreographe providing a visual programming environment accessible to students from age 11 upwards. In university research, NAO is the most common platform for HRI studies investigating social cues, verbal and non-verbal communication, and assistive interaction scenarios.

In the UK healthcare sector, NAO has been used in dementia care pilot programmes and ASD intervention research at universities including Heriot-Watt, Middlesex, and the University of Hertfordshire. The robot's human-like proportions and expressive gestures are central to its therapeutic research value.

Buying Used

A healthy secondary market exists for both NAO v5 and v6 units, with prices ranging from £3,000 to £7,000 depending on generation and condition. Key inspection points include joint motor smoothness across all 25 DoF, battery capacity, camera and microphone array function, and software licence transfer eligibility. SoftBank Robotics UK can advise on support options for used units.

Alternatives to Consider

Aldebaran NAO (earlier models) are available used at lower prices for institutions with budget constraints, though software support for earlier versions is more limited. Pepper is the larger SoftBank social robot for public-facing deployments. For institutions focused on programming education without humanoid locomotion, Elephant Robotics myCobot 280 offers robot arm education at a fraction of the cost.