Close call. XMAN-R1 and TIAGo Head trade wins across the matrix.
Readiness, uptime, navigation & connectivity
Price accessibility and ROI clarity
Payload, speed, runtime & labor replacement
Environment fit, footprint & long-term upside
Large airport hotel lobby with 300+ rooms, requiring 24/7 guest greeting and information desk duty across multiple shifts
University robotics labs: Multi-year student projects in HRI, gesture recognition, dialogue systems
Both are credible picks. Decide on cost and supplier proximity, not capability — the gap is small.