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HE BUILT A RUNNING HUMANOID ROBOT IN 120 DAYS — AND GAVE AWAY EVERY BLUEPRINT FOR FREE

A 21-year-old built a 1.25m humanoid that runs at 3 m/s in 120 days and open-sourced everything — CAD, BOM, suppliers, tuning notes.

by Yi Huang

FULL CAD BOM FIRMWARE DOCS

RoboticsOpen-hardware

Built with3D printing

difficulty
●●●●●
time
months
license
GPL-3.0
repo
repo ACTIVE2,551 stars

WHAT YOU’LL NEED

1
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COMPAREE VERDICT

This is a complete open-source humanoid robot that actually runs. RoboParty, the company Yi Huang founded in 2025, published the mechanical design, the 23-actuator setup, the deployment and training stack, and a BOM with suppliers. The repository is exceptional: it contains the kind of documentation that usually stays internal at robotics companies. But this is not a weekend build. You need CNC machining for the aluminium parts, a serious budget (the BOM totals about 49,700 yuan, mostly actuators and machining), and experience with ROS 2 and reinforcement-learning deployment. The single biggest barrier is not the software — it is sourcing and fabricating the mechanical components. Most suppliers are on Taobao, and there is no off-the-shelf kit in the repo. If something does not fit, you troubleshoot it yourself. The reward is a bipedal robot reported to run at about 3 m/s, documented well enough to reproduce. This is for someone with a workshop, a budget, and months of patience. If you have never machined metal or tuned a legged controller, start smaller.

GOOD TO KNOW

  • —Full CAD files for the mechanical structure in STEP format
  • —Complete bill of materials with supplier links (Chinese vendors)
  • —Control firmware and sim-to-real transfer notes included
  • —Assembly documentation is present but assumes machining access
  • —Licences differ by module — GPL-3.0 for much of the code, BSD-3-Clause for training, CERN-OHL-W-2.0 for description and appearance files; check LICENSES.md before commercial reuse.
  • —No off-the-shelf kit — you source every part and machine metal yourself

Parts to buy

9 items

From our check of the build. Exact quantities and part numbers are in the creator’s BOM.

  • 23 Damiao actuators (14x DM 4340P and 9x DM 10010L)Find
  • RDK X5 8G single-board computerFind
  • HI13 IMUFind
  • USB-to-CAN adaptersFind
  • Power distribution boardFind
  • 48V 15Ah Li-ion packFind
  • CNC-machined aluminium partsFind
  • Fasteners and wiringFind
  • Per the BOMFind

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Can I build this?

PrintLittle: the BOM lists a 3D-printed calibration part; the exterior shell files are for display only and the authors do not recommend printing them. Structural parts are CNC-machined aluminium.
Buy23 Damiao actuators (14x DM 4340P and 9x DM 10010L), an RDK X5 8G single-board computer, a HI13 IMU, USB-to-CAN adapters, a power distribution board, a 48V 15Ah Li-ion pack, CNC-machined aluminium parts, fasteners and wiring, per the BOM
ToolsCNC mill or access to a machine shop for metal parts, 3D printer (FDM fine for non-structural parts), soldering iron, hex keys, multimeter, computer running Linux for ROS development
SkillsAdvanced — you need mechanical assembly experience, ROS familiarity, motor tuning knowledge, and comfort debugging hardware-software integration issues. Prior robot build experience strongly recommended.
TimeMonths — 120 days is the optimistic timeline from someone who did it full-time. Expect 3-6 months if this is evenings and weekends, longer if you hit sourcing delays or machining problems.
CostHigh budget — the BOM totals about 49,700 Chinese yuan, driven by the 23 Damiao actuators and the CNC-machined aluminium parts, plus the RDK X5 computer and a 48V 15Ah battery pack; add shipping and duties if you order from outside China.
SafetyLithium battery packs require safe charging and storage practices. High-torque motors can cause pinch injuries during testing — keep hands clear of joints when powered. No mains voltage in the robot itself.

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

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Gallery

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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 full repository README and documentation (Understand the scope before ordering anything — this is a multi-month commitment)
  2. 2.Review the bill of materials and verify supplier availability in your region(Most suppliers are Chinese vendors — plan for shipping time and currency conversion)
  3. 3.Confirm access to CNC machining for metal parts or find a local machine shop(The metal frame is not optional — you cannot substitute it with 3D-printed parts)
  4. 4.Set up a Linux machine with ROS and clone the control firmware repository(You will need this environment for configuration and testing before the hardware arrives)

KNOWN ISSUES

  • Sourcing the actuators is the first real test — the BOM links to Chinese suppliers and you need to verify specs match before ordering, because a wrong motor means re-machining mounts
  • The metal frame requires CNC machining access — if you do not have a workshop or a machine shop relationship, this is a hard stop before you start
  • Assembly documentation assumes familiarity with robot kinematics and ROS — there is no step-by-step photo guide for first-time builders
  • Tuning the gait controller is an iterative process that requires a safe testing space and patience — the sim2real notes help but you will still spend weeks on this
  • Battery and power distribution are not trivial — a high-current lithium pack needs a proper BMS and safe charging setup, which adds cost and complexity
  • If a part does not fit during assembly, you troubleshoot it yourself first. The official community is a Chinese QQ group (546376843), and module issues go to the matching sub-repository.

Can I build this without a machine shop?

No — the aluminium frame requires CNC machining. You can send files to a service, but that adds cost and lead time.

What is the realistic total cost?

The project's own BOM totals about 49,700 Chinese yuan, dominated by the 23 actuators and the CNC-machined aluminium parts. Shipping, import duties and any tooling or machine-shop time come on top.

Is there a pre-made kit or PCB?

There are no kits on the shelf here. The PCB designs are in the repo, so you get those fabricated, buy the actuators and electronics from the BOM (mostly Taobao), and machine or order the metal parts yourself.

Do I need ROS experience?

Yes — the control stack runs on ROS and you will need to configure, tune and troubleshoot it. If you have never used ROS, expect a steep learning curve.

Can I use different motors if I cannot source the ones in the BOM?

Possibly, but you will need to modify CAD files for new mounting patterns and retune the controller gains — not a beginner task.

How fast does it actually run?

3 m/s is the stated top speed, about 10.8 km/h, which is a human jogging pace. It genuinely runs, not just walks.

Community builds

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Discussion1

FROM THE COMPAREE TEAM

Over 2,500 stars, a full BOM, CAD, training and deployment code all in one place. What would you build first if you had workshop access — the legs, or a single joint to test the actuators?

CompareeTEAM2mo agoedited

Practical notes from our verification: this is unusually complete for a humanoid project. The repository aggregates RoboParty's sub-repositories for hardware, deployment, training, robot description and firmware, and the hardware module includes an assembly guide, wiring PDFs, a mechanical BOM and CAD in both SolidWorks and STEP formats. The barrier is not the documentation, it is the machining and the actuators: the English BOM lists many CNC-machined aluminium parts, and its own total comes to roughly 49,700 yuan. The README says it can be sourced through Taobao and JLC prototyping and built independently. Licences differ by module — GPL-3.0 for much of the code, BSD-3-Clause for the training module, CERN-OHL-W-2.0 for the description and appearance files — so check LICENSES.md before reusing parts commercially. Community support runs through a QQ group. This is a months-long workshop project, not a weekend one. Correction (4 October 2026): we re-checked this page line by line against the project's own repository, documentation and videos, and fixed errors in earlier versions.

Yi Huang

Huang Yi, 21, founded RoboParty (Shanghai RoboParty Technology Co., Ltd.) in early 2025. His team built the ROBOTO_ORIGIN prototype in about four months and open-sourced the whole R&D process — structure, electronics, training and deployment, plus the supplier list — with licences that differ by module (see LICENSES.md).

GitHub

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  • 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.
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