Sad end of a robot era: Aldebaran Robotics before-what happens to the robots Nao & Pepper?

Published on: March 11, 2025 / update from: March 11, 2025 - Author: Konrad Wolfenstein

Sad end of a robot era: Aldebaran Robotics before-what happens to the robots Nao & Pepper? - Pictures: Aldebaran Robotics / creative image: Xpert.digital

Nao and Pepper before: What remains of the robot pioneer?

Education and research affected: Aldebaran's fate and its consequences

The French robotics company Aldebaran Robotics filed for bankruptcy in mid -February 2025 and is now facing an uncertain future. The company, known for its humanoid robots NAO and Pepper, will probably no longer be able to produce any further copies. A rescue plan provides drastic job cuts, while industry experts are skeptical of the pioneer of the pioneer of the humanoid robotics. The current development raises questions about the future of popular robots, which were particularly widespread in education and research.

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The story of a robotics pioneer

Aldebaran Robotics was founded in 2005 by Bruno Maisonnier in Paris and quickly developed into an important player in humanoid robotics. The company made the breakthrough in August 2007, when the two -legged robot Nao officially appointed the successor to the Sony Aibo as the standard platform of the Robocup - an international competition in which teams of autonomous robots compete against each other. Aldebaran helped this award to international popularity and established Nao as an important platform for research and teaching.

In the course of its history, the company went through several changes in ownership. The Japanese company Softbank bought $ 80 percent of the shares in Aldebaran Robotics in early 2012. After the start -up of the founder and CEO Bruno Maisonnier in 2015, Softbank increased its share to 95 percent. On May 19, 2016, Aldebaran Robotics was officially in Softbank Robotics Group Corp. renamed before it returned to the original name Aldebaran in 2022 and was taken over by the RAG Foundation Essen. This eventful owner history already indicates the financial challenges with which the company had to struggle for years.

The developmental philosophy of Aldebaran was strongly shaped by the founder Bruno Maisonnier, whose approach was: “First the design, then the technology. The technology should only serve the design. ” This attitude was reflected in the products that should not be perceived as purely technical devices, but as a companion with which people like to interact.

The robots: Nao and Pepper as figureheads

Nao, the little humanoid robot with two legs, became the company's flagship. With a size of 58 cm, it has seven touch sensors, omnidirectional microphones, speakers and two 2D cameras. This equipment enables him to communicate in more than 20 languages and to recognize forms, objects and people. His human -like movements and its friendly design made it popular in educational institutions.

The larger robot Pepper was presented in 2014 and should set new standards, especially in the area of social interaction. In contrast to the two -legged Nao, Pepper moved on rollers, which predestined him for use in customer care and service. Both robots were successfully used in various areas, from primary school to university education, research and even in special education.

However, the pricing of the robots turned out to be problematic for wider market penetration. A NAO robot cost between 5,000 and 10,000 euros, while the larger pepper cost 17,000 to 20,000 euros. Despite these high prices, Aldebaran claimed to sell a total of around 35,000 robots. According to the company, over 17,000 pepper and NAO robots were deployed on the global educational market.

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The way to the financial crisis

Despite the remarkable sales figures and the popularity of its products, Aldebaran Robotics never managed to operate sustainably profitable. The company was always dependent on external donors. The company has been continuously writing losses since 2019, and in the past five years, debt of a total of 150 million euros has increased.

The high production costs and the limited target group for the expensive robots proved to be a fundamental problem. The robots were mainly used in research and for entertainment purposes - areas in which the high prices were a significant obstacle. The income was simply not sufficient to cover the costs of development, production and the employment of highly qualified engineers and programmers.

The financial imbalance worsened dramatically when the RAG Foundation, which had been owner of the company since 2022, abrupt financing in the summer of 2024. This step left little scope for the already battered company and ultimately led to bankruptcy registration in mid -February 2025.

Current situation and attempts at rescue

After the bankruptcy registration, the company was placed under insolvency administration. A rescue plan should now bring the turn and find a buyer for the robotic company. Central part of this plan is a massive job cuts - around half of all employees are to be released to save costs.

However, the effectiveness of this measure is questioned internally. The main problem: the work of work would remain the same and would then have to be mastered by significantly fewer employees. This could affect the quality of the products and services and further reduce the company's attractiveness for potential investors.

The chance that NAO and Pepper can be further produced is estimated by industry observers. The combination of high debt, limited market potential and strong competition makes Aldebaran Robotics a risky investment. The management is currently negotiating with the insolvency administrators, but the prospects for a new donor appear questionable in view of the limited chances of success.

Effects on users and the robotics industry

The bankruptcy of Aldebaran Robotics has far -reaching consequences, especially for educational institutions and research organizations that rely on NAO and pepper. Without continuous maintenance, software updates and technical support, the usability of the existing robot could be restricted in the medium term.

The participants of the Robocup, for which NAO has been used as a standard platform since 2007, are particularly affected. The uncertainty about the future of robots could face the competition with considerable challenges and possibly force a reorientation.

The Aldebaran Robotics crisis also raises fundamental questions about the business model and the marketability of humanoid robots. Despite the technological advances and the undeniable educational value, the commercial usability of such systems remains limited. The high development and production costs are obviously difficult to amortize by the achievable market prices.

Future uncertain: is the NAO robot ever develop?

The next version of the Nao robot, originally planned for 2026, is now on the brink. In view of the drastic job cut and the financial emergency, the implementation of this project hardly seems possible. The immediate future of Aldebaran Robotics and its products remains uncertain.

For the existing users of the robots, it is to be hoped that an investor will be found who can at least continue the support and maintenance of the existing systems. A complete setting of production would mean a significant loss for the educational and research landscape.

The history of Aldebaran Robotics shows the challenges with which innovative technology companies are confronted with. Despite technological excellence and international recognition, the company was not able to create a sustainable economic basis. This underlines the need to combine technological innovation with sustainable business models-a lesson that is important for the entire robotics industry.

The bankruptcy of Aldebaran Robotics may mark the end of an era in the humanoid robotics, but the pioneering work done by the company has undoubtedly laid the foundation for future developments in this area. The question remains which company will enter the footsteps of Aldebaran and the next generation of humanoid robots will develop, which is both technologically convincing and economically viable.

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