Maturity stages

DEPLOY classifies robot models by a strict five-step ladder: research, prototype, pilot, commercial, and production. Each stage is a higher trust signal than the one before it. Lab-only sales count as research, not commercial.

Research: the robot exists as a study or development platform, including lab-only sales to universities and research institutions. Prototype: demonstrations, early hardware iterations, not yet trialed at a customer site. Pilot: limited real-world trials at a customer site, usually under structured supervision. Commercial: the robot is doing real economic work for a customer who is paying for the outcome. Production: mass-produced at scale, with the operating-fleet count justifying dedicated manufacturing capacity.

These distinctions exist because industry usage routinely conflates them. A robot trialed at one customer site for two weeks is not "in commercial deployment." A unit produced in the maker's own factory for testing is not "shipped to a customer." The maturity field on each model carries the operative classification.