The parts list requires an email signup and the reference kit costs $20,000, so this is a lab-scale project rather than a hobby build.
Asimov 1 is a 1.2 m, 35 kg open humanoid with 25 actuated joints, a 7075 aluminium and MJF nylon structure, and Raspberry Pi 5 plus Radxa CM5 onboard computers. Menlo Research publishes its mechanical and electrical CAD, MuJoCo model and onboard software, and sells a $20,000 unassembled DIY kit.
At a glance
| Parts cost | $20,000 kit · Price of the unassembled DIY kit from Menlo Research. The self-source parts list is sent after an email signup source ↗ |
|---|---|
| Difficulty | 5/5 Expert · Full-size humanoid needing machined aluminium, custom PCBs and harnesses, with a $20,000 kit as the reference price. |
| Build time | Not stated |
| Tools needed | CNC machining of 7075 aluminium parts (or a service), MJF PA12 printing service, PCB fabrication and assembly, crimping and harness building |
| Motors | 25 actuated joints (models are in the gated parts list, unconfirmed here) |
| Controller | Raspberry Pi 5 (media and network) + Radxa CM5 (motion control), 6 CAN buses |
| Sensors | IMUs, 2 MP monocular camera, stereo microphone array, joint encoders |
| Published | ✓ Parts list✓ CAD/STL✓ Assembly guide✓ Wiring✓ Software✓ Video GitHub repo (CAD, PCB, WireViz harness) + docs.menlo.ai manual; parts list sent by email after signup; build videos come with the kit |
| Activity | Last update 2026-09-28 · 1,243 GitHub stars · Discord, forum.menlo.ai; 210 forks |
| Kits | $20,000 DIY kit from Menlo Research |
Licenses
| Design files | CERN-OHL-S-2.0 source ↗ |
|---|---|
| Code | GPL-2.0 source ↗ |
| Documentation | None found for the docs.menlo.ai manual source ↗ |
Builder notes
Practical points from the project's issue tracker, forum and docs, each linked to its source.
- The self-source parts list lives in a Google Sheet handed out after an email signup. Builders reported being unable to open it, and Menlo changed the sharing settings after the issue was raised. source ↗
- The repo's fabrication-manifest check was broken for a while because .gitignore excluded the CSV, so the manifest the README points to was missing until a later fix. source ↗
- The locomotion policy is still on the roadmap as coming soon, so a finished robot does not yet walk out of the box from the open release. source ↗
- Sim joint limits were changed in September 2026 to match the hardware, and a contributor noted the ankle roll range had been capped at about 6 degrees for safety, so older sim-trained policies may not transfer. source ↗
Other humanoids plans
- InMoov · $1,300–$1,400 · difficulty 3/5
- ToddlerBot · under $6,000 · difficulty 4/5
- Berkeley Humanoid Lite · under $5,000 · difficulty 4/5
- Poppy Humanoid · $8,500 (2021) · difficulty 3/5