Stéphane Caron / open-source community (France) Upkie (1)

DIY (open source)Built from off-the-shelf parts (mjbots actuators, Raspberry Pi); no kit is sold

Not for sale (research)Wheel balanceOpen sourcePython + GymDIY build

Not soldShipping: Build (weeks). Not sold. Parts come from mjbots and standard suppliers; build instructions are on the docs site. Build guide ↗

GitHub ↗Docs ↗

Overview

An open-source wheeled biped designed to be built with ordinary tools and mjbots qdd100 actuators. Its standout feature is the software, since Gymnasium environments and sim-to-real workflows make it a favorite for learning balance control and RL on real hardware. Expect to source every part and do the assembly.

Specifications

Category	Bipeds · Wheel-legged balancers
Released	2022
Availability	Not for sale (research)
Programmability	Open source (hardware + software)
Best for	Ages 16+ (estimated)
Vision sensors	No vision sensors
Actuators	Brushless / direct-drive motors
Audio	No audio
Compute type	Raspberry Pi
Balance type	Wheel balance
Height	Not published
Weight	Not published
Compute	Raspberry Pi (4 or 5)
Speed	Not published
DOF	6 (hip, knee, wheel per leg)
Sensors	IMU, actuator encoders
Balance	Wheel-inverted-pendulum balancing with the legs setting height; controllers range from PID/MPC to learned policies.
SDK	Python and C++ with Gymnasium environments, Bullet/MuJoCo simulation, PyPI and conda packages