Sophia vs Telegarden

Side-by-side comparison of Sophia (Hanson Robotics) and Telegarden (The Telegarden Project) — specs, pricing, Robo Index, and verified deployments. Updated daily.

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Optimized for Home & Household buyers. Priority specs lifted to the top and marked with a target.

SophiaBB

TelegardenAA

Layer 1: Identity & Trust

Manufacturer Country

SophiaHong Kong
TelegardenUnited States

Year First Available

Sophia2016
Telegarden—

Verified Deployments

Sophia0 Deployments
Telegarden0 Deployments

Layer 2: Operational

Price

SophiaResearch platform
Telegarden$100,000 USD

Battery / Shift Runtime

Sophia2 hrs
Telegarden—

Availability Status

SophiaACTIVE
TelegardenACTIVE

Layer 3: Category Specific

Payload Capacity

Sophia11 kg
Telegarden—

Autonomy Level

Sophiasemi-autonomous
Telegardenteleoperated

	SophiaresearchHanson Robotics BBRobo Index	TelegardenresearchThe Telegarden Project AARobo Index
Layer 1: Identity & Trust
Manufacturer Country (values differ)	Hong Kong	United States
Year First Available (values differ)	2016	—
Verified Deployments	0 Deployments	0 Deployments
Layer 2: Operational
Price (values differ)	Research platform	$100,000 USD
Battery / Shift Runtime (priority for Home & Household buyers) (values differ)	2 hrs	—
Availability Status	ACTIVE	ACTIVE
Layer 3: Category Specific
Payload Capacity (values differ)	11 kg	—
Autonomy Level (values differ)	semi-autonomous	teleoperated

Insufficient data for full comparison

The following fields had no data for any of the selected robots: Reach, Max Speed, 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	Sophia	Telegarden
Investment	No price	$100,000
Payback period	—	24.0 mo
Net savings (5 yr)	—	$150,000
ROI (5 yr)	—	+150%

Sophia has 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 Sophia and Telegarden?

Sophia is made by Hanson Robotics, based in HK. Telegarden is made by The Telegarden Project, based in US.

How do Sophia and Telegarden compare on the Robo Index?

Sophia grades BB on the Robo Index. Telegarden 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 Sophia and Telegarden 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 Sophia and Telegarden?

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

Sophia vs Telegarden 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.