Welcome, StarBot Astra!

StarBot Astra is a humanoid research platform developed by StarBot in Santa Barbara, California, for universities, research institutes, and robotics development teams. Standing 152 centimeters tall and weighing 34 kilograms, it offers a human scale platform for investigating embodied robotics in supervised environments. Its listed starting price is $9,999, positioning it as an accessible option for organizations building experimental robotics programs. Astra has 23 degrees of freedom, electric joint actuators, planetary reducers, and hands with five fingers each. Computing centers on an NVIDIA Jetson Orin class system, with a Linux and ROS based software environment. The platform also lists on device language model integration with cloud fallback. Its overall Humanoid Guide score of 2 out of 10 places it in the early stage category, with Navigation and Manipulation each rated 1 out of 5. Supported capabilities include obstacle avoidance and sorting goods. These ratings frame Astra as a preliminary research system rather than a mature general purpose worker, with supervised experimentation central to its intended role.

Obstacle avoidance and sorting goods provide two concrete areas for research with Astra. Obstacle avoidance offers a focus for studying how a humanoid responds to objects along a route within a controlled test environment. Sorting goods provides a manipulation task for evaluating how the robot handles object organization under supervision. Researchers can use these tasks to structure repeatable experiments, compare software changes, and document performance across different laboratory arrangements. The Navigation rating of 1 out of 5 and Manipulation rating of 1 out of 5 indicate preliminary performance tiers in both categories. They are not counts of movements or supported actions. Together, the two supported capabilities offer a focused starting point for research without implying broad autonomy or production readiness.

Astra is listed for preorder, with a starting price of $9,999 and an inquiry option for prospective buyers. StarBot identifies universities, research institutes, and research and development teams as its main market, and states that its robots are built entirely in the United States. Compatibility with NVIDIA Isaac simulation is relevant to teams developing robotics experiments within that software ecosystem. The listed runtime is five hours per charge, a useful planning figure for laboratory sessions. Its broader significance lies in offering a comparatively accessible humanoid platform for supervised research. Purchasing decisions should distinguish that research role from expectations of a finished industrial system, particularly given Astra’s early stage overall rating and preliminary Navigation and Manipulation tiers.