What is Asimov 1
Work in progress
This is an early public version of the Asimov 1 manual. Some sections will continue to expand as the documentation matures.
Asimov 1 is an open source, reference humanoid for builders, engineers, and researchers who want to understand and assemble a full-body robot platform.
Expect substantial integration work across mechanical structures, power, electronics, and controls.
You are effectively building an entire humanoid robot from scratch, with the parts and technical support available to help. There is no faster way to understand humanoid robotics from the ground up.
Here Be Dragons
Asimov 1 is closer in complexity to a car than a weekend project. It is unsafe if you do not know what you are doing, and it requires serious time and care.
The Asimov 1 Manual
This manual covers how Asimov 1 is designed, assembled, and brought from parts to working hardware operation.
It focuses on:
- the full-body hardware architecture
- the fabrication and assembly workflow
- bring-up and operating context for the humanoid platform
- the control and API surfaces used to operate the robot
Specifications
| Spec | Value |
|---|---|
| Height | 1.23 m |
| Weight | 35 kg |
| Degrees of Freedom | 25 actuated + 2 passive |
| Legs | 6 DOF x 2 + toe x 2 |
| Arms | 5 DOF x 2 (shoulder pitch/roll/yaw, elbow, wrist yaw) |
| Torso | 1 DOF waist yaw, 10 W 4 ohm speaker, 6 DOF IMU |
| Head | 2 DOF neck (neck yaw, neck pitch), Quad microphone array, 2MP monocular camera |
| CAN Bus | 5 @ 1Mbps + 1 @ 500kbps |
| Onboard Compute | Raspberry Pi 5 (media + network) + Radxa CM5 (motion control) |
| Activity | Load |
|---|---|
| Squat | 5 kg |
| Bicep curl | 15 kg each arm |
| Lateral raise | 18 kg each arm |
Features
In Scope:
- Data collection from: camera, audio, IMU, motor joint states
- Basic walking through teleoperations
- Embody custom AI agents via a Cloud API
- Virtual Asimov digital twin via a Cloud API
Out of Scope:
- Manipulation (no hands or grippers)
- Advanced locomotion (e.g. dancing)
The Asimov 1 Kit
It is available as a DIY Kit, or you can self-source off-the-shelf parts from the BOM and manufacture the mechanical parts from the mechanical files.
The Asimov 1 kit includes following:
Hardware
| Category | Included | Not Included |
|---|---|---|
| Hardware | All BOM components (unassembled), power supply & cabling, extra spare parts | Tools, hands |
| Compute | Edge board (RaspberryPi with BT/WiFi), motion control board (internal bus), network board (Ethernet), power distribution board | 4G/5G modules |
| Sensors | Monocular camera, IMUs, mic, speaker, motor joint states | premium sensors (Lidar, 360 cam) |
| Safety | Battery, E-Stop (wireless), safety guidelines (labels, warnings, operating guidelines) | — |
| Docs | Quick start guide, manual, DIY videos | — |
Software
| Software Layer | Function |
|---|---|
| Robot Cloud API / CLI | High-level agent control |
| Asimov API | Low-level robot data & commands |
| Apps | Virtual Asimov, real-time teleop app |
| Base walking policy | Pre-trained RL locomotion (on-robot) |
Software Manual
You can find the future Software manual here: https://docs.menlo.ai/ and open source code here: https://github.com/menloresearch
Why Asimov 1
You should build Asimov 1 if you want:
- detailed understanding of how a humanoid works, from nuts and bolts to software
- a customizable, repairable robot built from off-the-shelf parts
- a transparent stack for learning, research, and application development
- a framework for reasoning about robotics and spatial intelligence
- a community codesigning an open humanoid standard together
Why Not Asimov 1
- Asimov 1 is clunky and not a polished consumer product
- It is dangerous if you do not know what you are doing
- It is time consuming
- It is expensive, around
$15k, and requires substantial hands-on work
Expected Effort
You should expect to spend 50-100 hours putting it together across:
- procurement and part preparation if self-sourcing
- fabrication and finishing if self-sourcing
- mechanical assembly
- wiring and electronics checks
- bring-up, debugging, and calibration
- simulation and policy validation before any walking attempt
The exact build time and cost depend on whether you start from the kit or source parts independently, how much fabrication you do yourself, and how much prior robotics experience you already have.
What Success Looks Like
For most builders, success should be evaluated in stages:
- You understand the system architecture and have the required parts, tools, and workspace.
- The hardware is assembled correctly and passes basic electrical and mechanical checks.
- The robot can be powered, homed, and verified safely.
- The software and simulation stack are configured well enough to validate the control path.
- The robot reaches stable real-world operation and locomotion behavior on hardware.
Escape hatch
Not what you're looking for?
- Check out V2 concepts. Shipping date unknown.
- Request a deposit refund: [email protected]. No questions asked.
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