Nao Robots

NAO Robots

Introduction

NAO is a robot designed and developed by a company called Aldebaran Robotics (“Hardware Platform,” n.d.). NAO is considered a humanoid robot as its physical appearance is very similar to that of a human. The latest version of NAO is NAO H25. It is 58 cm tall and fully programmable (“Hardware Platform,” n.d.). It can mimic human emotions, and can be programmed to perform a variety of tasks such as story-telling and dancing. Simply put, NAO is a robotic companion that assists humans.

Features

One striking feature of the NAO H25 is its ability to communicate in eight different languages (“Aldebaran Robotics Nao H25 Humanoid Robot Academic Edition,” 2011). To do so, NAO H25 employs four microphones, two speakers, and an Intel ATOM 1.6 GHz CPU, all of which are found around or inside its head (Fabre, Stroud, & Duvernay, 2010). Another striking feature is NAO’s fall manager. When NAO H25 detects a fall, it prepares itself in such a way to minimize damage. For instance, its stiffness would be reduced to zero (Fabre, Stroud, & Duvernay, 2010). One final, remarkable feature is its ability to keep balance. Unlike most other robots, when commanded to carry out a specific task, NAO H25 makes sure it does not lose its balance and fall by adjusting all its body parts appropriately (“Aldebaran Robotics Nao H25 Humanoid Robot Academic Edition,” 2011).

Aldebaran Robotics

Aldebaran Robotics was founded in 2005 by Bruno Maisonnier (“History,” n.d.). Maisonnier’s main motive is his impression that “robotics will be the technological revolution of the 21st century.” (“History,” n.d.) Aldebaran Robotics is currently the world leader in humanoid robotics (Fabre, Stroud, & Duvernay, 20108). The company believes that robots will change the way we learn, work and communicate and this is the goal they hope to accomplish with NAO (“Welcome to the NAO Developer Website,” n.d.).

Acquiring a NAO

NAO is not yet available to the general public....