Hiwonder MechDog

$299.99 – $569.99

AvailableESP32Metal frameBudget

Possibly ≤ 1 weekShipping: ~1–2 weeks.

Overview

An inexpensive aluminum-framed 8-DOF dog aimed at STEM classrooms, programmable in MicroPython, Arduino or blocks. With 8 servos it walks but cannot do the side-stepping or body poses of 12-DOF kits. A cheaper entry point than PuppyPi, with far less onboard compute.

Hiwonder sells four kits built on the same robot. The Standard kit ($299.99) is the dog alone, with app control, ultrasonic obstacle avoidance and IMU pose detection. The Advanced kit ($369.99) adds an ESP32-S3 camera module for color tracking, face recognition and line following, the WonderEcho AI voice module, and touch, light, dot matrix and MP3 modules. The Ultimate kit ($469.99) adds a micro:bit adapter board, two building-block servos and LEGO-compatible parts. The Pro Developer Kit ($569.99) adds a three-servo robotic arm with a gripper to the Ultimate contents. A separate MechDog AI adds a head module for voice chat with cloud language models.

Type: Quadruped robot · Desktop / hobby kits
Maker: Hiwonder (China)
Released: 2023
Price: $299.99 – $569.99
Status: Available
Best for: Ages 12+
Programming: Full SDK

Versions compared

	Standard	Advanced	Ultimate	Pro Developer
Price (hiwonder.com)	$299.99	$369.99	$469.99	$569.99
Features
App control	●	●	●	●
Ultrasonic ranging and obstacle avoidance	●	●	●	●
Pose detection (IMU)	●	●	●	●
Live camera feed	–	●	●	●
Color recognition and target tracking	–	●	●	●
Face recognition and vision line following	–	●	●	●
AI voice interaction	–	●	●	●
Sensor expansion (touch, light, dot matrix, MP3)	–	●	●	●
IoT expansion	–	●	●	●
micro:bit compatibility	–	–	●	●
LEGO integration	–	–	●	●
Robotic arm gripping and transport	–	–	–	●
In the box
MechDog (assembled), head expansion bracket, 8.4 V 2 A charger, USB-C cable, screwdriver	●	●	●	●
ESP32-S3 vision module (320 × 240 camera) and mount	–	●	●	●
WonderEcho AI voice interaction module	–	●	●	●
MP3 module with TF card	–	●	●	Not pictured (unconfirmed)
Dot matrix display, touch sensor, light sensor	–	●	●	●
Card reader, 3 colored balls, module wires	–	●	●	●
micro:bit adapter board (micro:bit not included)	–	–	●	●
2 building-block servos and LEGO-compatible blocks	–	–	●	●
3-servo robotic arm with gripper	–	–	–	●
Small board with a display	–	–	–	Pictured, not named (unconfirmed)

Features for Standard, Advanced and Ultimate come from Hiwonder's "Different Version Descriptions" chart, and their contents from the packing lists in Hiwonder's MechDog wiki. Hiwonder publishes no chart or written list for the Pro Developer Kit, so its column is read from the Pro packing list photo and the Pro features on the product page. All kits share the same robot (ESP32 controller, 8 HPS-0618SG coreless servos, 7.4 V 1500 mAh battery). Hiwonder store ↗ · Packing lists (wiki) ↗ · Robotic arm lesson (wiki) ↗

Price and shipping

Standard $299.99, Advanced $369.99, Ultimate $469.99, Pro Developer Kit $569.99 on hiwonder.com (September 2026).

Shipping: ~1–2 weeks. Sold via Hiwonder's store and Amazon. Amazon listings can arrive within a week when stocked in the US. Hiwonder ↗

Specifications

Category	Quadrupeds · Desktop / hobby kits
Released	2023
Country	China
Availability	Available
Programmability	Full SDK
Built-in autonomy	Reactive · Responds to its surroundings without a map, such as avoiding obstacles or following a person
LLM support	Official LLM tools · Hiwonder sells a MechDog AI variant whose add-on module links DeepSeek, Doubao or Qwen for voice chat. The base kit has no LLM. Hiwonder MechDog AI ↗
MuJoCo simulation	None found · Nothing found.
NVIDIA Isaac simulation	None found · Nothing found.
Gazebo simulation	None found · Nothing found.
Best for	Ages 12+ (estimated)
Vision sensors	Camera, Sonar / ultrasonic
Actuators	Hobby servos
Audio	No audio
Compute type	Arduino / ESP32 / microcontroller
Compute	ESP32 controller
Weight	~560 g (21 × 13 × 14 cm), 7.4 V 1500 mAh battery, up to ~60 min
Speed	Not published, ~0.07–0.10 m/s (est.), timed with a tape measure on two units at a mid-range speed setting in an owner project on GitHub
DOF	8 servos
Sensors	Ultrasonic sensor, IMU, optional camera and sensor modules
SDK	MicroPython, Arduino, Scratch-style blocks

Common questions

How much does MechDog cost?

MechDog is listed at $299.99 – $569.99. Standard $299.99, Advanced $369.99, Ultimate $469.99, Pro Developer Kit $569.99 on hiwonder.com (September 2026).

Can MechDog be bought today?

Yes, it is on sale. Typical shipping time is ~1–2 weeks. Sold via Hiwonder's store and Amazon. Amazon listings can arrive within a week when stocked in the US.