PM01 vs Sophia: Specs, Price & ROS Support Compared (2024)
EngineAI Robotics vs Hanson Robotics — independent, side-by-side analysis.
Quick Verdict
Sophia leads in more DOF. Overall, Sophia has an edge in 1 out of 1 compared categories.
PM01
EngineAI Robotics
Sophia
Hanson Robotics
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PM01 Sophia
Specifications
$13,700PriceContact (R&D version available)
138 cmHeight167 cm
40 kgWeight20 kg
23DOF83
—Payload1.2 kg
2hRuntime—
2 m/sSpeed—
YesStairsNo
YesLiDARNo
Intel N97 + NVIDIA Jetson Orin (dual compute)ComputeIntel Core i7, 32 GB RAM
Ecosystem Openness
45
PM01
/100
40
Sophia
Linux + developer SDK. Dual compute for custom dev.
Hanson AI SDK + OpenCog. Ubuntu. Partial ROS. Niche community.
Pros and cons at a glance
PM01
Pros
- Shipping to customers (verified commercial availability)
- Affordable at $13,700 — accessible to research labs and SMEs
- Ships with LiDAR for robust depth sensing in low-light environments
Cons
- Short runtime (120 min) — frequent recharging or battery swaps
- Closed software stack — no public SDK or ROS support
Sophia
Pros
- Shipping to customers (verified commercial availability)
- 83 degrees of freedom — full-body articulation
Cons
- Unit price not publicly disclosed (quote-on-request or enterprise-only)
- Low rated payload (1.2 kg) — research or light-handling tasks only
- Cannot navigate stairs — restricts deployment environments
Frequently asked questions
How do PM01 and Sophia compare on price?
PM01: $13,700. Sophia: Contact (R&D version available). Only one of the two has a public unit price; the other publishes a range or enterprise-only terms.
Are both PM01 and Sophia shipping to customers?
Yes. Both are commercially available as of the last review. Delivery timelines and customer geographies vary per vendor — check the manufacturer page for each.
Which is better for ROS-based development: PM01 or Sophia?
PM01 has no ROS support; Sophia has ROS 1 only. For research and multi-vendor robotics stacks, native ROS 2 is the strongest signal of ecosystem maturity.
Does PM01 or Sophia use LiDAR?
PM01 ships with LiDAR for depth sensing; Sophia does not. LiDAR adds cost and complexity but improves obstacle detection in low-light or low-contrast environments.
Last updated: 2024