By Aldebaran (now Maxtronics) · France · announced March 2006
The little humanoid that has taught coding and supported autism therapy for nearly two decades, outliving its own maker's bankruptcy.
The main field guide selects 14 companion robots for deeper review. This entry belongs to a separate 53-record index that also covers industrial, research, and developer systems.
NAO is the most successful humanoid robot ever sold. The 58 centimeter biped launched by Aldebaran in the late 2000s became the standard platform for robotics education, RoboCup soccer and human-robot-interaction research, with roughly 20,000 units in 70 countries. The current NAO6 generation dates from 2018.
NAO survived its maker: Aldebaran entered French insolvency in early 2025 and was liquidated, with China's Maxvision buying the assets in July 2025 and operating them as Maxtronics, which continues to market NAO6 and lists a NAO7 as in development. Through the turmoil, distributors such as RobotLAB kept selling and supporting units; a NAO6 costs $16,990 standard or $19,900 in an educator pack, with robot-as-a-service from $647 per month.
In classrooms NAO earns its keep: structured curricula, a huge developer ecosystem, and a particularly strong record in special education and autism therapy programs.
About 20,000 units sold; continuous availability through 2025-2026 ownership transition
3 material claims are separated by evidence setting and human involvement. The strongest recorded signal is Commercially deployed; it does not automatically transfer to every row.
Two decades of classroom use and peer-reviewed special-education studies
Becomes standard RoboCup platform; academic sales scale
NAO6 generation
Aldebaran enters insolvency; distributors maintain supply and support
Maxvision acquires assets; Maxtronics continues NAO6, lists NAO7 project
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