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POPPY: THE ORIGINAL 3D-PRINTED HUMANOID ROBOT

The pioneering fully 3D-printed humanoid from Inria — 83 cm tall, 25 joints, a bio-inspired bendy spine, and a real research pedigree.

by Poppy Project (Inria Flowers)

FULL CAD BOM FIRMWARE DOCS

RoboticsEducation

difficulty
●●●●○
time
a serious project
license
CC-BY-SA-4.0 / GPL-3.0
repo
repo DORMANT1,014 stars

WHAT YOU’LL NEED

  • 3D printer + filament — printable parts — files are in the repo
  • Electronic parts — full list with part numbers in the repo BOM
  • Soldering kit + basic tools — one-time buy, serves every future build

Partner

Reach your Pi from anywhere — Remote desktop to the machine running this build — no port forwarding, works right from the browser.Try Getscreen.me
Videos
1

COMPAREE VERDICT

Poppy is a piece of history: the pioneering fully 3D-printed humanoid, from Inria's Flowers lab, with a real peer-reviewed research trail. It's 83 cm tall but only about 3.5 kg, with 25 joints and a bio-inspired bendy spine and angled thighs that give it a more natural walk — and it's controlled entirely in Python, which made it a landmark education and research platform. Two honest caveats: it runs on around 25 commercial Dynamixel servos, so it's an expensive build despite the printed plastic; and the project is largely dormant now (the last code updates were in 2021). If you want a well-documented, historically important printable humanoid to learn from, Poppy is still a fantastic reference — just source the servos with open eyes.

NOT IN THE REPO

  • —Full open hardware: CAD (STL, STEP) via GitHub Releases, Solidworks sources via Git LFS; BOM and assembly guide on the docs site
  • —No firmware in the repo — it uses commercial Robotis Dynamixel servos with their own firmware
  • —Controlled in Python (pypot) on an Odroid or Raspberry Pi
  • —The project is largely dormant — the last code updates were in 2021

Can I build this?

Printall structural parts (STL/STEP via GitHub Releases; Solidworks sources via Git LFS)
Buy~25 Robotis Dynamixel servos, an Odroid XU4 or Raspberry Pi, a camera — see the docs BOM
Tools3D printer, hex drivers, patience for a ~7 hour assembly
Skillsmechanical assembly, Python (pypot) for control
Timea serious project (assembly ~7 hours plus sourcing)
Costband $$$ — the servos dominate; current prices: creator's BOM
Safetylow-voltage; ~25 geared servos — mind fingers during calibration

Build at your own risk. Projects involve tools, electronics and sometimes mains voltage — follow the creator’s safety notes.

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A desktop 3D printer that prints in full color

HeyGears G1: 10M+ colors and transparent parts in one print, plus UV printing on flat objects. Figures, parts and labels — no painting.

See how it prints

Videos

Poppy Humanoid assembly time lapse

The official assembly time-lapse.

Gallery

Poppy HumanoidPoppy Project (CC BY-SA 4.0)
Poppy in motionPoppy Project
Legs from the assembly guidePoppy Project
The 25-motor layoutPoppy Project

Start here

Navigation into the creator’s own docs — we don’t rewrite the guide, we route you to the source.

  1. 1.Read the assembly guide (the full build)
  2. 2.Watch the assembly time-lapse (see it come together)
  3. 3.Get the BOM (~25 Dynamixel servos + compute)
  4. 4.Get the CAD (STL/STEP via GitHub Releases)
  5. 5.Install the Python control (pypot-based)

Resources

Documentation, files and community threads for this build — we link straight to the original sources and never rehost the creator’s files.

Meet Beni, Your First All-Terrain Camera Robot!Partner · Kickstarter
Meet Beni, Your First All-Terrain Camera Robot!
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KNOWN ISSUES

  • It's not 'git clone and print' — the complete CAD/BOM are in GitHub Releases and on the docs site, not the repo root
  • No firmware in the repo — it relies on commercial Dynamixel servos with their own firmware
  • The project is largely dormant (last code ~2021) — great as a reference, but don't expect active updates
  • The ~25 Dynamixel servos make it an expensive build despite the printed body

Is it really fully 3D-printed?

The body is — it was the first complete open-source fully 3D-printed humanoid. The cost is in the ~25 Dynamixel servos and the control computer, not the plastic.

Why the bendy spine?

Poppy uses a bio-inspired multi-segment spine and angled thighs to make walking and motion more natural — part of what made it a notable research platform.

Is it still active?

Largely dormant — the last code updates were around 2021. It remains a well-documented reference and education platform.

What does it cost?

Band $$$ — driven by ~25 Dynamixel servos and a control computer. The BOM has current prices.

Community builds

No community builds yet — be the first, we feature the best ones.

Discussion1

FROM THE COMPAREE TEAM

Poppy's multi-segment bendy spine and angled thighs were meant to make humanoid motion more natural. Was the bio-inspired complexity worth it, or is a rigid torso the pragmatic choice?

CompareeTEAM1mo ago

For anyone cloning and expecting to print: the complete CAD and BOM are not in the repo root — they're tucked into GitHub Releases and the docs site, with Solidworks sources behind Git LFS. We'd add that the project has been largely dormant since around 2021, but as the first complete fully 3D-printed open humanoid it remains a genuinely useful reference. Did anyone here build one back in its heyday?

Berkeley open-sourced a humanoid robot you can 3D print for a fifth of the price

●●●●● · a modern printable humanoid with RL walking

Zeroth-Bot: A Tiny Open-Source Humanoid You Can Actually Afford

●●●●○ · a smaller, cheaper open humanoid

Amazing Hand: A Fully 3D-Printed Robotic Hand

●●●○○ · add a dexterous printed hand

Poppy Project (Inria Flowers)

Inria's Flowers lab created the first complete open-source fully 3D-printed humanoid, Python-controlled and backed by peer-reviewed research, and released it as an education and research platform.

GitHub Web

Star the project on GitHub

DISCLAIMER

  • Comparee is not the author of the projects featured here. All rights to each project belong to its creator — every page links to the original source, and we never host creators’ files.
  • Information is provided without warranty and may become outdated as projects evolve. Prices are indicative bands only — always check the creator’s parts list for current costs.
  • Building and operating any project is at your own responsibility. Protective equipment, safe workshop practice and compliance with local regulations are the builder’s responsibility.
GitHub repo