Astrobee Bumble vs Kilobot

Side-by-side comparison of Astrobee Bumble (NASA) and Kilobot (Harvard) — specs, pricing, Robo Index, and verified deployments. Updated daily.

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Astrobee BumbleBB

KilobotAA

Layer 1: Identity & Trust

Manufacturer Country

Astrobee BumbleUnited States
KilobotSwitzerland

Year First Available

Astrobee Bumble2019
Kilobot2014

Verified Deployments

Astrobee Bumble0 Deployments
Kilobot0 Deployments

Layer 2: Operational

Battery / Shift Runtime

Astrobee Bumble—
Kilobot4 hrs

Availability Status

Astrobee BumbleACTIVE
KilobotACTIVE

Layer 3: Category Specific

Max Speed

Astrobee Bumble—
Kilobot0 m/s

Autonomy Level

Astrobee Bumblefully autonomous
Kilobotfully autonomous

	Astrobee BumbleresearchNASA BBRobo Index	KilobotresearchHarvard AARobo Index
Layer 1: Identity & Trust
Manufacturer Country (values differ)	United States	Switzerland
Year First Available (values differ)	2019	2014
Verified Deployments	0 Deployments	0 Deployments
Layer 2: Operational
Battery / Shift Runtime (values differ)	—	4 hrs
Availability Status	ACTIVE	ACTIVE
Layer 3: Category Specific
Max Speed (values differ)	—	0 m/s
Autonomy Level	fully autonomous	fully autonomous

Insufficient data for full comparison

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

best in categoryweakest in categoryvalues differ

ROI Comparison

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

Robots (fleet)

Hours / day

Labor $/hr (USD)

Days / year

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

Metric	Astrobee Bumble	Kilobot
Investment	No price	No price
Payback period	—	—
Net savings (5 yr)	—	—
ROI (5 yr)	—	—

Astrobee Bumble, Kilobot 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 Astrobee Bumble and Kilobot?

Astrobee Bumble is made by NASA, based in US. Kilobot is made by Harvard, based in CH.

When were Astrobee Bumble and Kilobot launched?

Astrobee Bumble launched in 2019. Kilobot launched in 2014.

How do Astrobee Bumble and Kilobot compare on the Robo Index?

Astrobee Bumble grades BB on the Robo Index. Kilobot grades AA. The Robo Index is a credibility grade (AAA … C) that blends commercial maturity, verified deployments, company standing, and independent coverage — see methodology for the full breakdown.

Are Astrobee Bumble and Kilobot 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 Astrobee Bumble and Kilobot?

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

Astrobee Bumble vs Kilobot 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 Index is calculated.