NAO V6 vs Astribot S1: Specs, Price & ROS Support Compared (2025)
Aldebaran (Maxvision) vs Stardust Intelligence — independent, side-by-side analysis.
Quick Verdict
NAO V6 leads in lower price, while Astribot S1 leads in more DOF, longer runtime. Overall, Astribot S1 has an edge in 2 out of 3 compared categories.
NAO V6
Aldebaran (Maxvision)
Astribot S1
Stardust Intelligence
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NAO V6 Astribot S1
Specifications
$16,990Price$250,000
58 cmHeight170 cm
5.6 kgWeight80 kg
25DOF36
—Payload10 kg
1hRuntime5h
0.5 m/sSpeed—
NoStairs—
NoLiDARYes
Intel Atom (upgraded in V6)ComputeLinux-based
Ecosystem Openness
70
NAO V6
/100
—
Astribot S1
NAOqi + Choregraphe. Massive academic community. Future uncertain post-bankruptcy.
Pros and cons at a glance
NAO V6
Pros
- Shipping to customers (verified commercial availability)
- Affordable at $16,990 — accessible to research labs and SMEs
Cons
- Short runtime (75 min) — frequent recharging or battery swaps
- Cannot navigate stairs — restricts deployment environments
Astribot S1
Pros
- Shipping to customers (verified commercial availability)
- Ships with LiDAR for robust depth sensing in low-light environments
- 36 degrees of freedom — full-body articulation
Cons
- Premium pricing at $250,000 — enterprise budgets only
Frequently asked questions
Which is cheaper: NAO V6 or Astribot S1?
NAO V6 is cheaper at $16,990 vs $250,000 for Astribot S1. Note that lower price does not imply lower total cost of ownership — see the TCO calculator on the Explore page for utilisation-adjusted figures.
Are both NAO V6 and Astribot S1 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: NAO V6 or Astribot S1?
NAO V6 has ROS 1 only; Astribot S1 has ros2. For research and multi-vendor robotics stacks, native ROS 2 is the strongest signal of ecosystem maturity.
Does NAO V6 or Astribot S1 use LiDAR?
Astribot S1 ships with LiDAR for depth sensing; NAO V6 does not. LiDAR adds cost and complexity but improves obstacle detection in low-light or low-contrast environments.
Last updated: 2025