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Aqua Jelly vs Saildrone Explorer

Side-by-side comparison of Aqua Jelly (Festo) and Saildrone Explorer (Saildrone Inc.) — specs, pricing, Robo Score, and verified deployments. Updated daily.

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Aqua Jelly35.3
Saildrone Explorer
Saildrone Explorer66.5

Layer 1: Identity & Trust

Manufacturer Country

  • Aqua JellyGermany
  • Saildrone Explorer
    Saildrone ExplorerUnited States

Year First Available

  • Aqua Jelly2008
  • Saildrone Explorer
    Saildrone Explorer2015

Verified Deployments

  • Aqua Jelly—
  • Saildrone Explorer
    Saildrone Explorer1 Deployment

Layer 2: Operational

Battery / Shift Runtime

  • Aqua Jelly—
  • Saildrone Explorer
    Saildrone Explorer8,760 hrs

Availability Status

  • Aqua JellyACTIVE
  • Saildrone Explorer
    Saildrone ExplorerACTIVE

Layer 3: Category Specific

Payload Capacity

  • Aqua Jelly—
  • Saildrone Explorer
    Saildrone Explorer20 kg

Reach

  • Aqua Jelly—
  • Saildrone Explorer
    Saildrone Explorer900 mm

Max Speed

  • Aqua Jelly—
  • Saildrone Explorer
    Saildrone Explorer8 m/s

Autonomy Level

  • Aqua Jelly—
  • Saildrone Explorer
    Saildrone Explorerfully autonomous

Insufficient data for full comparison

The following fields had no data for any of the selected robots: Price, IP Rating

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ROI Comparison

Same operating assumptions across every robot — the only difference is price. Set your numbers once to see which pays back fastest.

Annual labor displaced (per robot): $50,000

MetricAqua JellySaildrone Explorer
InvestmentNo priceNo price
Payback period——
Net savings (5 yr)——
ROI (5 yr)——

Aqua Jelly, Saildrone Explorer have no listed price, so payback can't be computed. Contact the manufacturer for a quote.

Estimates labor-cost displacement only — not a full total cost of ownership. Actual ROI depends on integration, maintenance, training, downtime, and task fit. Converted currencies are indicative; USD is the price of record.

Trade-offs at a glance

Frequently asked

Who makes Aqua Jelly and Saildrone Explorer?

Aqua Jelly is made by Festo, based in DE. Saildrone Explorer is made by Saildrone Inc., based in US.

When were Aqua Jelly and Saildrone Explorer launched?

Aqua Jelly launched in 2008. Saildrone Explorer launched in 2015.

How do Aqua Jelly and Saildrone Explorer compare on the Robo Score?

Aqua Jelly scores 35.3 on the Robo Score. Saildrone Explorer scores 66.5. The Robo Score is a 0–100 credibility figure blending commercial maturity, verified deployments, company standing, and independent coverage — see methodology for the full breakdown.

Are Aqua Jelly and Saildrone Explorer in the same category?

Both robots are classified as Research on Robolist. Filters and ranking treat them as direct alternatives.

What is the realistic total cost of ownership for Research robots?

Hardware cost is one input. Research TCO also includes integration, training, downtime, and end-of-life. Our breakdown: The real cost of a research platform.

What should a buyer ask vendors when choosing between Aqua Jelly and Saildrone Explorer?

Spec sheets only show part of the story. Useful vendor questions cover support, lifecycle, integration cost, and references. We have a buyer-focused checklist: The research-robot procurement RFP: questions and red flags.

Going deeper — picking the right robot

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About this comparison

Aqua Jelly vs Saildrone Explorer compares two robots in the research category. All data is sourced from manufacturer spec sheets, verified deployments, and third-party filings; see our methodology for how the Robo Score is calculated.