Open-source robot dogs and legged robots

Four-legged robots (robot dogs) and the other legged walkers the atlas files with them, such as hexapods and leg actuator platforms.

The atlas lists 17 open-source legged robots. 5 publish a URDF or MJCF model for simulation. 8 publish a build cost; the US-dollar figures run from $243 for Waveshare WAVEGO (WAVEGO BASIC US kit; variants up to about 416 USD; 18650 cells not included) to $13k for MEVIUS2 (full system incl. motors, sensors, Jetson, batteries, metal parts (metal parts alone about 6,150 USD)). 13 carry a hardware license that permits commercial use. The most-starred source repository here is Stanford Doggo's, with 2.6k GitHub stars.

Compare the legged robots

Sorted by reproducibility score. A cost is the figure the source publishes, in its own currency, with its basis and what it covers.

Open-source robot dogs and legged robots compared
RobotCostDoFHardware licenseSim modelScore
ODRI Open Robot Actuator Hardware (Solo / Bolt)Actuator module familyDormant
not published
12
BSD-3-ClauseCommercial use OK
none published
80
POPIQuadrupedDormant
€5.1ksource total, 2019 team purchase list (actuators, electronics, onboard computers, raw material) before subsidies; no fasteners listed
12
BSD-3-ClauseCommercial use OK
URDF
80
Q8botQuadruped
$337source total, self-printed FDM parts and self-reflowed PCB
8
MITCommercial use OK
none published
80
Solo-12QuadrupedDormant
not published
12
BSD-3-ClauseCommercial use OK
URDF
80
Bob The HexapodHexapodDormant
not published
18
MITCommercial use OK
none published
73
MEVIUSQuadruped
$12ksource total, parts list: 12 AK70-10, NUC12WSKi7, ESD CAN-USB/2, T265, batteries, power electronics, meviy metal parts, MISUMI mechanics; excludes screws and printed parts
12
MITCommercial use OK
URDF
73
MEVIUS2Quadruped
$13ksource total, full system incl. motors, sensors, Jetson, batteries, metal parts (metal parts alone about 6,150 USD)
12
MITCommercial use OK
URDF
73
TOPSQuadrupedDormant
$3.3ksource total, workbook total: 4 leg assemblies (12 Eaglepower 8308 90KV motors, 12 ODrive S1) plus electronics and frame; excludes the CAN transceiver shown in the schematic
12
No license fileUnknown or unclear
none published
73
ZeroBugHexapod
not published
18
GPL-3.0Commercial use OK
none published
73
openDog V3QuadrupedDormant
not published
12
MITCommercial use OK
none published
68
OpenQuadruped (Adham Elarabawy)QuadrupedDormant
not published
12
MIT with an added attribution clause (non-standard)Unknown or unclear
URDF
68
Mini Pupper (MangDang)Quadruped
$756source total, BOM spreadsheet total
12
No hardware license statedUnknown or unclear
none published
55
SpotMicroAIQuadrupedDormant
not published
12
CC-BY-4.0Commercial use OK
none published
55
Stanford DoggoQuadrupedDeprecated
$3ksource total, work-in-progress full-robot BOM: motors, ODrives, electronics, waterjet and CNC parts, 3D printed parts, fasteners; optional tools unpriced
8
MITCommercial use OK
none published
55
ESP32 Small Robot Dog (SovGVD)QuadrupedArchived
not published
12
MITCommercial use OK
none published
50
openDog (V1)QuadrupedDormant
not published
12
GPL-3.0Commercial use OK
none published
48
Waveshare WAVEGOQuadrupedDormant
$243vendor kit, WAVEGO BASIC US kit; variants up to about 416 USD; 18650 cells not included
12
None: closed commercial kit, no CAD publishedUnknown or unclear
none published
33

Quadrupeds in 3D

Renders come from each project's own source files; a card says so when there is no model yet.

ODRI Open Robot Actuator Hardware (Solo / Bolt), 3D render from the project's source files
Actuator module familyAssembly 3D

ODRI Open Robot Actuator Hardware (Solo / Bolt)

Dormant

Open actuator module plus Solo8/Solo12 quadruped, Bolt biped and TriFinger hardware; overlaps the Solo-12 page.

BSD-3-Clausecost not published
POPI, 3D render from the project's source files
QuadrupedAssembly 3D

POPI

Dormant

Open-source student-built quadruped with full CATIA CAD, BOM and ROS stack.

BSD-3-Clause€5.1ksource total
Q8bot, 3D render from the project's source files
QuadrupedAssembly 3D

Q8bot

Palm-sized 8-DoF quadruped on a single PCB, no wires, fully open.

MIT$337source total
Solo-12, 3D render from the project's source files
QuadrupedAssembly 3Dclaimed

Solo-12

Dormant

Open torque-controlled quadruped from the ODRI initiative.

BSD-3-Clausecost not published
Bob The Hexapod, 3D render from the project's source files
HexapodAssembly 3D

Bob The Hexapod

Dormant

Cheap 3D-printed 18-servo hexapod on a Raspberry Pi Pico with a custom PCB.

MITcost not published
MEVIUS, 3D render from the project's source files
QuadrupedAssembly 3D

MEVIUS

12-DoF quadruped built from e-commerce parts and MISUMI meviy sheet-metal and machined frame parts.

MIT$12ksource total
MEVIUS2, 3D render from the project's source files
QuadrupedAssembly 3D

MEVIUS2

Spot-sized 12-DoF open quadruped with sheet-metal welding and multimodal LiDAR perception.

MIT$13ksource total
TOPS, 3D render from the project's source files
QuadrupedAssembly 3D

TOPS

Dormant

3D-printed 12-DoF quadruped with source workbook BOM and full CAD assembly.

No license file$3.3ksource total
ZeroBug, 3D render from the project's source files
HexapodAssembly 3D

ZeroBug

3D-printed 18-servo hexapod driven by a Pi Zero and STM32, with full CAD and PCB.

GPL-3.0cost not published
openDog V3, 3D render from the project's source files
QuadrupedAssembly 3D

openDog V3

Dormant

James Bruton's third-gen brushless quadruped with cycloidal drives and ODrive control.

MITcost not published
OpenQuadruped (Adham Elarabawy), 3D render from the project's source files
QuadrupedAssembly 3D

OpenQuadruped (Adham Elarabawy)

Dormant

3D-printed 12-DoF servo quadruped with Bezier-curve gaits and full pose IK.

MIT with an added attribution clause (non-standard)cost not published
Mini Pupper (MangDang), 3D render from the project's source files
QuadrupedAssembly 3D

Mini Pupper (MangDang)

12-DoF Raspberry Pi quadruped robot dog from MangDang, with a published BOM, CAD and assembly guide.

No hardware license stated$756source total
SpotMicroAI, 3D render from the project's source files
QuadrupedSimplified 3D

SpotMicroAI

Dormant

Low-cost 12-DoF 3D-printed quadruped loosely based on Boston Dynamics SpotMini.

CC-BY-4.0cost not published
QuadrupedNo 3D yet

Stanford Doggo

Deprecated

Agile brushless quadruped that set a vertical-jump agility record (ICRA 2019).

MIT$3ksource total
ESP32 Small Robot Dog (SovGVD) source parts, 3D render (not the assembled robot)
QuadrupedParts preview: not the assembled robot

ESP32 Small Robot Dog (SovGVD)

Archived

Hobby 3D-printed quadruped with 3-DoF legs, inspired by Petoi Bittle. Archived.

MITcost not published
openDog (V1), 3D render from the project's source files
QuadrupedAssembly 3D

openDog (V1)

Dormant

James Bruton's original open-source brushless quadruped, built episode by episode.

GPL-3.0cost not published
QuadrupedNo 3D yet

Waveshare WAVEGO

Dormant

12-DoF ESP32 + Raspberry Pi bionic robot dog; open firmware, commercial kit hardware.

None: closed commercial kit, no CAD published$243vendor kit

Also in the catalog, not compared because nothing can be built from them today: KLEIYN (paper only).

Side-by-side comparisons

Cost, DoF, actuators, simulation models, license and every score criterion, with the robots drawn to scale. Pick your own with the Compare button on each card.

Parts these legged robots use

From the robots' bills of materials: how many of the robots above list each part.

Explore the atlas