Auto-assembled, not yet reviewed

LEAP Hand

Low-cost 16-DoF anthropomorphic hand for robot learning, from CMU.

A newer version of this design exists.

Successor: LEAP Hand v2 / v2 Advanced (source)

  • CC-BY-NC-4.0NC
  • robot hand16 DoF
  • $1,771.74source total
Reproducibility63/100Partial source coverage, unverifiedCADBOMWIREFWBUILDLICREPHow it is computed
LEAP Hand 16-DoF robot hand, 3D render from robot.urdf
main assembly 3D · robot.urdf

About LEAP Hand

LEAP Hand is a low-cost, anthropomorphic 16-DoF dexterous hand for robot learning, introduced at RSS 2023 by Kenneth Shaw, Ananye Agarwal, and Deepak Pathak (CMU). Each of its four fingers is driven by Dynamixel XC330 serial-bus servos, and the published v1 design assembles in under three hours with common hand tools for under $2,000 (a low-cost variant is also offered). This repository is the official control SDK, with Python, C++, ROS, and ROS2 APIs plus a MANO-to-LEAP retargeting tool. Upstream licensing is inconsistent: the API README says code MIT and CAD CC BY-NC-SA, while the repo LICENSE file says CC BY-NC 4.0; either way the CAD is non-commercial and not OSHW-compatible, and the mechanical CAD is requested separately through leaphand.com. This page covers the original v1 hand; LEAP Hand v2 and v2 Advanced are separate, newer designs.

Licenses

Hardware
CC-BY-NC-4.0NCrepo LICENSE file; the README and CAD page say CC BY-NC-SA
Software
MITper the README
Docs
Not published

Degrees of freedom

16 DoF fingers 16

Breakdown source

Dexterous handsource

How to build LEAP Hand

5 steps

Steps marked Motari summary condense the linked source; follow the source for exact instructions.

  1. Request and print the CAD

    Request the CAD through leaphand.com, then print the palm, MCP brackets, spacers, top plate and fingertips. The CAD is released under a non-commercial CC BY-NC-SA license.

    Motari summaryv1.leaphand.com/leap_cad

  2. Assemble the hand

    Follow the leaphand.com assembly guide; the parts page says the hand can be assembled in under three hours with M2 and M3 hex wrenches, a PH00 screwdriver and a soldering iron for the brass inserts.

    Motari summaryv1.leaphand.com/leap_cad

  3. ID the Dynamixel servos

    Assign each XC330 servo a unique ID and set Return Delay Time to 0 us using Dynamixel Wizard before wiring the chain.

    Motari summaryv1.leaphand.com/leap_cad

  4. Wire power and USB

    Connect 5V power and the micro-USB/U2D2 interface; on Ubuntu grant serial permissions on /dev/serial/by-id.

    Motari summaryv1.leaphand.com/leap_cad

  5. Run the control API

    Use the Python, C++, or ROS/ROS2 API in this repo to command joint angles and read position, velocity, and current at up to 500 Hz.

    Motari summaryv1.leaphand.com/leap_cad
Print time24 h
Assembly time3 h

Wiring, power and firmware are safety-relevant and shown for reference only. Check them against the source before building.

LEAP Hand bill of materials

25 rows

Cost to build

$1,771.74USDsource total
  • regular v1 hand, parts page as of Aug 2023$1,771.74source total
  • LEAP Hand Lite, parts page as of Aug 2023$714.30source total

In the source currency, as read on 2026-09-30. Not converted, and not checked against current vendor prices: none of these is a Motari-verified checkout total.

LEAP Hand parts, as the source lists them. Prices are the source's, not checked against vendors.

LEAP Hand bill of materials
PartQtySpecSourceConfidence
DYNAMIXEL XC330-M288-T actuator setFull hand motors; Lite substitutes weaker XL330-M288-T motors.
16XC330-M288-T full / XL330-M288-T lite alternative
ROBOTISFull total $1439.84; Lite total $382.40leaphand.com Parts table Dynamixel Components
high
DYNAMIXEL FPX330-H101 horn setDynamixel H101 hardware.
11FPX330-H101 4-piece set
ROBOTIS$29.40 totalleaphand.com Parts table Dynamixel Components
high
DYNAMIXEL FPX330-S101 bracket setLarge S101 brackets; page suggests extras for crash protection.
10FPX330-S101 4-piece set
ROBOTIS$29.40 totalleaphand.com Parts table Dynamixel Components
high
DYNAMIXEL FPX330-S102 bracket setSmall S102 brackets.
6FPX330-S102 4-piece set
ROBOTIS$19.60 totalleaphand.com Parts table Dynamixel Components
high
DYNAMIXEL U2D2 USB interfaceUSB serial interface for the Dynamixel bus.
1U2D2
ROBOTIS$32.10 totalleaphand.com Parts table and API README setup
high
DYNAMIXEL U2D2 Power HubPower distribution option; source also mentions custom cable alternative.
1U2D2 Power Hub Board Set
ROBOTIS$19.00 totalleaphand.com Parts table Dynamixel Components
high
XT30 pigtail / custom power cable partsOptional custom cable path instead of Power Hub; JST cable/housing links are listed as helpful.
1XT30 pigtail plus optional JST EH cable/housing
vendor not named$9.00 totalleaphand.com Parts table Dynamixel Components
med
M3 6 mm heat-set inserts3D-printer brass inserts.
5M3 6 mm
vendor not named$19.00 total, variety packleaphand.com Parts table Other Misc. Parts
high
M2 6 mm heat-set inserts3D-printer brass inserts.
24M2 6 mm
vendor not namedvariety pack; no separate totalleaphand.com Parts table Other Misc. Parts
high
M2 8 mm screwsAssembly screws.
16M2 x 8 mm
vendor not named$19.00 total, variety packleaphand.com Parts table Other Misc. Parts
high
M2 10 mm screwsAssembly screws.
24M2 x 10 mm
vendor not named$19.00 total, variety packleaphand.com Parts table Other Misc. Parts
high
M2 6 mm screwsAssembly screws.
4M2 x 6 mm
vendor not namedvariety pack; no separate totalleaphand.com Parts table Other Misc. Parts
high
M3 6 mm screwsAssembly screws.
5M3 x 6 mm
vendor not namedvariety pack; no separate totalleaphand.com Parts table Other Misc. Parts
high
Polymaker PLA Pro filamentAbout 200 g for rigid printed parts.
1PLA Pro, approx. 200 g
Polymaker$19.99 totalleaphand.com Parts table Other Misc. Parts
high
Ninjaflex Edge filamentOptional flexible filament for soft fingertips.
1Ninjaflex Edge, approx. 100 g
NinjaTek$49.44 totalleaphand.com Parts table Other Misc. Parts
high
5 V 30 A power supplyMain hand power supply.
15 V, 30 A
vendor not named$19.99 totalleaphand.com Parts table and API README setup
high
AC power cableCountry-specific power cable.
1AC power cable
vendor not named$7.00 totalleaphand.com Parts table Other Misc. Parts
high
14 AWG 5 V cablePower wiring.
114 AWG 5 V cable
vendor not named$9.99 totalleaphand.com Parts table Other Misc. Parts
high
Grip tapeFinger/contact surface material.
1grip tape
vendor not named$29.99 totalleaphand.com Parts table Other Misc. Parts
high
3D-printed palm lowerRight and left lower palm STL/STP files are linked on the CAD page.
1palm_lower STL/STP; left variant also published
3D print yourselfpriced as filamentleaphand.com CAD page
high
3D-printed palm upper / mounting plateChoose one top plate for the mounting setup.
1no-holes or xArm/Franka/UR5 top-plate variants
3D print yourselfpriced as filamentleaphand.com CAD page
high
3D-printed cable spacerPublished STL/STP printed part.
5cable_spacer
3D print yourselfpriced as filamentleaphand.com CAD page
high
3D-printed MCP bracketPublished STL/STP printed part.
3mcp_bracket
3D print yourselfpriced as filamentleaphand.com CAD page
high
3D-printed DIP spacerPublished STL/STP printed part.
3dip_spacer
3D print yourselfpriced as filamentleaphand.com CAD page
high
3D-printed fingertipsPick one fingertip shape/material set; soft variants are published.
4base/wedge/thin/round fingertip variants
3D print yourselfpriced as filamentleaphand.com CAD page
high

Rows from the source's own parts list 5

partshtml

Source rowQtyPrice and vendorLine
LEAP Hand itemized parts and Aug 2023 source totals
Dynamixel, hardware, filament, power and grip-tape quantities listed in table rows
LEAP Hand parts page / Robotis and listed suppliersRegular total $1771.74; Lite total $714.30
L140

leap_cadhtml

Source rowQtyPrice and vendorLine
Public CAD and printed-part source downloads
printed part quantities on CAD/parts pages
LEAP Hand CAD pageprinted parts represented by filament rows in parts table
L139

assemblyhtml

Source rowQtyPrice and vendorLine
Mechanical assembly and electronics setup instructions
four fingers, 16 motor IDs, U2D2/power hub chain
LEAP Hand assembly pageno price listed
L166

readme.md@b0d00c8markdown

Source rowQtyPrice and vendorLine
Control API setup, motor family, power setup, and license evidence
LEAP Hand API READMEno price listed
L17

1 more source files with parts rows are listed under Files.

LEAP Hand source files

8 files

Files stay in the upstream repository under their own licenses; these links open them there. The 3D model on this page is Motari's conversion of the file named under Simulation.

LEAP Hand in simulation

Robot description files a simulator or CAD tool can load, linked at the commit they were found.

The 3D specimen on this page is converted from assets/leap_hand/robot.urdf at 150bc3d.

Builds of LEAP Hand

0 reviewed

No reviewed builds of LEAP Hand yet.

A build log records the evidence (photos, a video, your repository), what the build cost, how long it took and what you changed. Each one is checked by Motari (until a maintainer claims this page) before it shows here, and reviewed builds count toward the reproducibility score.

Sources and provenance

Sources

Last push to leap-hand/LEAP_Hand_API: 2025-10-20 (checked 2026-10-01)

Related links

How this page was made

Assembled from public sources on 2026-06-04, not yet reviewed by the maintainer. Each figure links to where it is stated; a value the sources do not state reads "not published". Last source review: source-reviewed 2026-06-08.

Original files stay intact and separately licensed; Motari adds only the summary on this page. Maintainer? Request a correction or removal.

Badge for the README

Maintain LEAP Hand? Show its reproducibility score in the project's README. The badge links back to this page and updates with the score.

Badge: reproducibility 63/100

Markdown
[![Motari reproducibility score for LEAP Hand](https://motari.io/api/v1/badge/leap-hand)](https://motari.io/r/leap-hand)
HTML
<a href="https://motari.io/r/leap-hand"><img src="https://motari.io/api/v1/badge/leap-hand" alt="Motari reproducibility score for LEAP Hand" height="20"></a>

Not fully met yet: bom evidence (partial), wiring diagram (partial), oshw-compatible license. The score is read from the project's own sources, so publishing what is missing is what raises it. A score of 90 or more needs a reviewed build. How the score is computed