Menlo Research Launches $20,000 DIY Humanoid Robot Kit Without Hands
Building the open-source Asimov 1 takes over 100 hours, and buyers will still need to supply their own end effectors and train any movement beyond basic walking.
Hardware startup Menlo Research has announced the Asimov 1, a bipedal humanoid robot sold as a build-it-yourself kit for $20,000. Pitching the device as a reference platform for embodied AI researchers, the company estimates that assembling and calibrating the machine will take more than 100 hours.
Standing roughly 1.2 meters tall and weighing 35 kilograms, the robot is built around 25 motorized joints: six per leg, five per arm, one for waist rotation, and two for the neck. Compute duties are split between two boards. A Radxa CM5 manages low-level motor control and telemetry over six CAN buses, while a Raspberry Pi 5 handles high-level peripherals, including a 2-megapixel head camera, a four-microphone array, a speaker, and general networking. An integrated six-axis IMU sits inside the torso.
The project’s main selling point is openness. Menlo Research has released the complete CAD files, electronic schematics, robot software, and a simulation model for MuJoCo into a public repository. This allows labs to customize mechanical parts, mount bespoke sensors, and run their own machine learning models without vendor lock-in.
However, the baseline package comes with clear practical omissions. The robot ships without functional hands, ending instead in basic wrist mounts. While out-of-the-box software covers standard balanced walking, any complex mobility—such as jumping or navigating uneven terrain—must be developed and trained by the buyer.
Source: habr via Menlo Research
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