Name: StackChan (M5Stack)
Brand: M5Stack
Availability: InStock

M5Stack (China), based on Shinya Ishikawa's open-source Stack-chan (Japan) StackChan (M5Stack) (1)

M5Stack (China), based on Shinya Ishikawa's open-source Stack-chan (Japan) StackChan (M5Stack) (2)

M5Stack (China), based on Shinya Ishikawa's open-source Stack-chan (Japan) StackChan (M5Stack) (3)

$99 – $125$99 for the robot and $125 for the kit with an ESP-NOW remote controller (Hat Mini JoyC + StickC-Plus), both in stock on M5Stack's store (October 2026 check). Also sold on AliExpress and Taobao. Kickstarter early-bird pledges started at $59–$65 plus shipping. Dated 2026 for M5Stack's version, which launched on Kickstarter in January 2026 and reached its store in February 2026. The original DIY Stack-chan dates from 2021.

AvailableVia SSH / web / bridgePalm-sizedOpen sourceESP32-S3Screen facePan/tilt head

Possibly ≤ 1 weekShipping: About 1–2 weeks (unconfirmed). Sold from M5Stack's own store, which ships from China, and on AliExpress. No US warehouse or Amazon US listing was confirmed. M5Stack store ↗

Remote control: Code is written on a Mac or PC in Arduino IDE, PlatformIO, ESP-IDF or the browser-based UiFlow2 and flashed over USB-C, so programs run on the robot itself. The phone app also gives remote avatar control and video over Wi-Fi.

StackChan (M5Stack store) ↗StackChan with remote ↗M5Stack docs ↗Source code (GitHub) ↗Original Stack-chan project (GitHub) ↗Kickstarter campaign ↗CNX Software article ↗

Overview

An official, ready-built version of Shinya Ishikawa's Stack-chan, a hobby robot that began in 2021 as an open-source project (GitHub stack-chan/stack-chan) where makers put an M5Stack screen module on a small servo pan/tilt body. M5Stack's version uses the CoreS3 module, whose 2-inch screen shows the face, and adds a camera, two microphones, touch zones, NFC and an AI voice agent out of the box. Unlike Vector it cannot drive around the desk, only turn and nod, but firmware, app, server and hardware files are all published, so it is far easier to reprogram. The default AI service is the Chinese XiaoZhi platform, which some owners will want to replace with a self-hosted server.

A cheap, cute and fully hackable desk head, best for makers who want to write their own robot personality.

Specifications

Category	Companion robots · Desk & social robots
Released	2026
Country	China, Japan
Availability	Available
Sales	4,142 Kickstarter backers pledged HK$3,582,197 (about $460,000) by February 2026 (estimate) Kickstarter ↗
Programmability	Open source (hardware + software)
Built-in autonomy	Reactive · Responds to its surroundings without a map, such as avoiding obstacles or following a person
LLM support	Built-in LLM chat · The factory firmware's AI Agent runs on the XiaoZhi voice platform, set up in M5Stack's StackChan World app (which lets the owner pick the AI model, voice and personality), and other XiaoZhi-based firmware can point at the open-source xiaozhi-esp32-server, which accepts any OpenAI-compatible LLM. M5Stack StackChan docs ↗
MuJoCo simulation	None found · Nothing found. It is a stationary pan/tilt head, so simulation is of little use.
NVIDIA Isaac simulation	None found · Nothing found. It is a stationary pan/tilt head, so simulation is of little use.
Gazebo simulation	None found · Nothing found. It is a stationary pan/tilt head, so simulation is of little use.
Best for	Ages 10+ (estimated)
Vision sensors	Camera
Actuators	Smart servos (Dynamixel, Feetech…)
Audio	Speaker, Microphone
Compute type	Arduino / ESP32 / microcontroller
Remote control	Via SSH / web / bridge
Size	70.5 × 61.5 × 54 mm, about 187 g
Drive	None (stationary). Head pans 360° (continuous) and tilts 90° on two feedback servos
Compute	M5Stack CoreS3 (ESP32-S3, 240 MHz dual-core, 16 MB flash, 8 MB PSRAM)
Vision	0.3 MP camera (GC0308, 640×480) and a 2-inch 320×240 touchscreen face
Lidar	None
Sensors	Dual microphones, 1 W speaker, proximity/ambient light sensor, 9-axis IMU, three-zone touch panel, NFC, infrared Tx/Rx, 12 RGB LEDs, microSD slot, Wi-Fi and Bluetooth
Runtime	Not published (550 mAh battery, USB-C charging)
Speed	Not applicable (stationary head)
SDK	Open-source firmware, iOS/Android app and server on GitHub (m5stack/StackChan). Programmable with Arduino (StackChan BSP library), UiFlow2 blocks/MicroPython, PlatformIO or ESP-IDF, and the community Stack-chan firmware uses JavaScript/TypeScript (Moddable SDK)