Hugging Face SO-101 (SO-ARM101) price & specs

Q: Can SO-101 be programmed?

Open source (hardware + software). Hugging Face lerobot (Python): calibration, teleop, dataset recording, policy training (ACT, diffusion, SmolVLA, etc.).

TheRobotStudio × Hugging Face (open source) SO-101 (SO-ARM101) (1)

TheRobotStudio × Hugging Face (open source) SO-101 (SO-ARM101) (2)

~$230 DIY parts (pair), kits $199 – $460

AvailablePython from a laptopLeRobot nativeLeader–follower teleop3D printedApache-2.0

≤ 1 weekShipping: ~3–8 business days (WowRobo, UPS).

Remote control: Plugs into a laptop over USB. The lerobot Python library calibrates it, teleoperates it from the leader arm, records datasets and runs trained policies (training also works on Apple Silicon via mps).

LEARN MORE (WowRobo kit) ↗

Overview

The default choice for learning imitation learning on a budget.

The default arm of the LeRobot imitation-learning ecosystem and the cheapest serious entry point into end-to-end robot learning. It is a 3D-printed follower plus a leader arm for teleoperation, built from 12 Feetech STS3215 servos. The 2025 revision of the SO-100 improved wiring, removed the need to strip gears for assembly and changed leader-arm motor gearing. Precision and payload are toy-grade, but thousands of community datasets and pretrained policies target exactly this arm.

Type: Robot arm · Desktop & hobby arms
Maker: TheRobotStudio × Hugging Face (open source)
Released: 2025
Price: ~$230 DIY parts (pair), kits $199 – $460
Status: Available
Best for: Ages 14+
Programming: Open source (hardware + software)

Price and shipping

Official BOM totals ~$230 in the US for a leader + follower pair (~$122 for one follower). WowRobo sells printed parts with 12 servos for $199, an unassembled pair with a camera for $259 and an assembled pair with a camera for $299. Hiwonder sells an unassembled kit for $269.99 and assembled kits for $389.99 – $459.99 (checked October 2026).

Shipping: ~3–8 business days (WowRobo, UPS). WowRobo prepares orders in 1–3 business days and ships to the US by UPS express in 2–5 business days, with duties and taxes prepaid (October 2026). Its $299 Package 3 includes both arms assembled and calibrated, two servo driver boards, 12 V and 5 V power adapters, four desk clamps, two USB-C cables and a 2 MP camera. WowRobo ↗

Specifications

Category	Robot arms · Desktop & hobby arms
Released	2025
Country	France
Availability	Available
Sales	Over 10,000 units shipped worldwide (2025, estimate) WowRobo ↗
DIY build plans	SO-101 arm · parts $230 (estimate) · difficulty 2/5
Programmability	Open source (hardware + software)
Built-in autonomy	None / scripted · Moves only when controlled, or plays preset motions
LLM support	Official LLM tools · Hugging Face's SmolVLA vision-language-action model takes natural-language instructions and is trained and demonstrated on SO-100/101 arms through LeRobot. Hugging Face blog (SmolVLA) ↗
MuJoCo simulation	Official model · In MuJoCo Menagerie (robotstudio_so101). MuJoCo Menagerie ↗
NVIDIA Isaac simulation	Official model · Isaac Lab ships an SO-101 config (so101.py) and example tasks. Isaac Lab so101.py ↗
Gazebo simulation	Maker URDF only · Maker's repo publishes URDF and MJCF files, no Gazebo package. SO-ARM100 Simulation/SO101 ↗
Best for	Ages 14+ (estimated)
Vision sensors	No vision sensors
Actuators	Smart servos (Dynamixel, Feetech…)
Audio	No audio
Compute type	Laptop / PC as the brain
Remote control	Python from a laptop
DOF	6 (5 joints + gripper)
Reach	Not published
Payload	Not published (light objects only)
Repeatability	Not published
Weight	Not published
Controller	None on the arm, Waveshare serial bus-servo board to a host PC over USB
Sensors	Servo position/load feedback from Feetech STS3215 bus servos, USB cameras added by the user (wrist/overhead mounts in the repo)
SDK	Hugging Face `lerobot` (Python): calibration, teleop, dataset recording, policy training (ACT, diffusion, SmolVLA, etc.)

Common questions

How much does SO-101 cost?

SO-101 is listed at ~$230 DIY parts (pair), kits $199 – $460. Official BOM totals ~$230 in the US for a leader + follower pair (~$122 for one follower). WowRobo sells printed parts with 12 servos for $199, an unassembled pair with a camera for $259 and an assembled pair with a camera for $299. Hiwonder sells an unassembled kit for $269.99 and assembled kits for $389.99 – $459.99 (checked October 2026).

Can SO-101 be bought today?

Yes, it is on sale. Typical shipping time is ~3–8 business days (WowRobo, UPS). WowRobo prepares orders in 1–3 business days and ships to the US by UPS express in 2–5 business days, with duties and taxes prepaid (October 2026). Its $299 Package 3 includes both arms assembled and calibrated, two servo driver boards, 12 V and 5 V power adapters, four desk clamps, two USB-C cables and a 2 MP camera.

Who makes SO-101?

SO-101 is made by TheRobotStudio × Hugging Face (open source). It came out in 2025.

Can SO-101 be programmed?

Open source (hardware + software). Hugging Face lerobot (Python): calibration, teleop, dataset recording, policy training (ACT, diffusion, SmolVLA, etc.).

Does SO-101 have AI chat or LLM support?

Official LLM tools. Hugging Face's SmolVLA vision-language-action model takes natural-language instructions and is trained and demonstrated on SO-100/101 arms through LeRobot.