With the recent news that French robotics pioneer Aldebaran, the original creator of the NAO and Pepper robots, has entered judicial liquidation, RobotLAB is stepping forward to provide clarity, continuity, and confidence to customers worldwide.
While headlines may suggest uncertainty, the real story signals a “powerful next chapter”, one that benefits the entire robotics education and research community, according to a statement from RobotLAB, which services and maintains thousands of Aldebaran robots worldwide.
A well-capitalized group is in the process of acquiring the intellectual property and core engineering team from Aldebaran and will be launching a new entity: NAO Robotics SA.
With 59 engineers already onboard and development on NAO V7 resuming, this transition marks a fresh start for the iconic humanoid platform, not a farewell.
Since its inception in 2009, RobotLAB has been NAO’s most trusted partner, providing seamless deployment, support, and training across the US and beyond.
Through three separate ownership transitions, Aldebaran Robotics, SoftBank Robotics, United Robotics Group, RobotLAB has remained the anchor of stability, and will do the same for its new owner: NAO Robotics SA.
Elad Inbar, CEO of RobotLAB, says: “We’ve been here since the beginning – and we’re still here. Our customers will experience zero disruption.
“We have NAO robots in stock, the parts, the tools, and the expertise to fully support existing and new deployments, just as we’ve always done, regardless of their ownership.”
RobotLAB is currently stocked and ready for immediate US delivery. With the largest base of NAO robots installed in North America, with over 6,500 NAO robots deployed and managed, RobotLAB is the largest partner globally and is uniquely positioned to continue providing full-service support, onboarding, and advanced repair services.
RobotLAB has been tapped to support the upcoming RoboCup tournament in Brazil, further underscoring its global authority as the only provider currently capable of maintaining and servicing NAO at scale.
RobotLAB offers a comprehensive educational ecosystem built around the NAO platform. This includes ready-to-use lesson plans, standards-aligned curriculum, and a robust online learning system featuring simulations, interactive coding environments, and multimedia resources.
Designed to engage students from K–12 through higher education, these tools empower educators to teach coding, robotics, and STEM in a hands-on, meaningful way, whether in a classroom or remotely.
Additionally, RobotLAB proves its commitment to the NAO platform with the recent launch of NAO AI Edition, offering customers integration with ChatGPT to enrich classroom and research experiences.
As the platform enters a new phase with clearer ownership and renewed development momentum, RobotLAB is doubling down on its commitment to NAO.
“This is not an ending – it’s a relaunch,” Inbar added. “And RobotLAB is proud to be the go-to partner guiding that future forward.”
