Overview
A University of Pennsylvania-derived direct-drive quadruped that could open doors, climb fences and bound, sold to labs as Ghost Robotics' first product. Guinness World Records lists it as the most vertically agile quadruped robot, with jumps up to 0.48 m (1.6 ft) every 0.43 s (1.12 m/s). It proved that direct-drive legs without gearboxes could sense contact through the motors themselves. Replaced by the Spirit 40 and Vision 60 lines as the company moved to defense customers.
- Type
- Quadruped robot · Research & legacy platforms
- Maker
- Ghost Robotics (US)
- Released
- 2016
- Price
- Was ~$10,000 (quote)
- Status
- Discontinued · unavailable
- Best for
- Professionals & labs
- Programming
- Full SDK
Price and shipping
Quote-only research kit. Ghost Robotics told IEEE Spectrum in 2016 it had been selling Minitaur for about $10,000.
Shipping: N/A. Discontinued. Not realistically obtainable.
Specifications
| Category | Quadrupeds · Research & legacy platforms |
|---|---|
| Released | 2016 |
| Country | USA |
| Availability | Discontinued · unavailable |
| Sales | 450+ across all Ghost Robotics models (estimate) Technical.ly ↗ |
| Jumping Robots | Ranked #7 by jump height |
| Programmability | Full SDK |
| Built-in autonomy | None / scripted · Moves only when controlled, or plays preset motions |
| LLM support | Possible via SDK · No built-in LLM. Its SDK lets software on a computer control it. |
| MuJoCo simulation | Community model · Only a third-party Minitaur URDF from PyBullet's data exists. pybullet_data (minitaur) ↗ |
| NVIDIA Isaac simulation | Community model · Only a third-party Minitaur URDF from PyBullet's data exists. pybullet_data (minitaur) ↗ |
| Gazebo simulation | Community model · Penn Kodlab's Gazebo package supports Minitaur but needs Ghost SDK files. kodlab_gazebo ↗ |
| Best for | Professionals & labs |
| Vision sensors | No vision sensors |
| Actuators | Brushless / direct-drive motors |
| Audio | No audio |
| Compute type | Arduino / ESP32 / microcontroller |
| Compute | STM32F303 Arduino-compatible microcontroller, Picatinny rails and SPI/I2C/UART for add-on sensors and computers |
| Weight | 5 kg (3 kg payload) |
| Speed | 1.45 m/s running, 0.48 m vertical jump |
| DOF | 8 (direct-drive, 2 per leg) |
| Sensors | IMU, motor encoders |
| SDK | Ghost Robotics SDK (C++) |
Common questions
How much does Minitaur cost?
It sold for ~$10,000 (quote). Quote-only research kit. Ghost Robotics told IEEE Spectrum in 2016 it had been selling Minitaur for about $10,000.
Can Minitaur be bought today?
No. It is discontinued and no longer sold. Discontinued. Not realistically obtainable.
Who makes Minitaur?
Minitaur is made by Ghost Robotics (US). It came out in 2016.
Can Minitaur be programmed?
Full SDK. Ghost Robotics SDK (C++).
Does Minitaur have AI chat or LLM support?
Possible via SDK. No built-in LLM. Its SDK lets software on a computer control it.
Ratings & reviews
Ratings and reviews load on the live site.
Related guides
- Fastest Robot Dogs · the top 20 ranked by speed
- Robot Dog Actuators · how to choose the leg motors
- 8 vs 12 DOF Robot Dogs · two or three motors per leg
- Robot Gaits and Gait Training · how legged robots walk, trot and gallop
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