STANFORD DOGGO: THE OPEN-SOURCE ROBOT DOG THAT BACKFLIPS
A record-setting jumping quadruped from a Stanford student team — it out-jumps most animals, and the paper and CAD are public.
by Nathan Kau & Stanford Student Robotics
RoboticsResearch
- difficulty
- ●●●●○
- time
- several weekends
- license
- MIT
- repo
- repo STABLE3,200 stars
●●●●○ · several weekends · MIT · 3,200 stars · repo STABLE
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
- Dev board / microcontroller — runs the project firmware
- Soldering kit + basic tools — one-time buy, serves every future build
Partner
COMPAREE VERDICT
Stanford Doggo is the robot dog from that viral jumping video — and it earned it: the student team set a record for vertical jumping agility, matching the best animals and beating the previous best robot by a wide margin. The engineering is elegant: quasi-direct-drive brushless motors that are backdrivable, so the robot can sense impacts without expensive force sensors, all driven by a modified ODrive. The honest catch is that the repo is research-grade and sparse — the CAD is a cloud Fusion link (no STEP pack), the BOM is a Google Sheet, and the code is split across repos. If you want to actually build and learn, we'd point you at the team's friendlier Pupper first; come to Doggo for the jumping and the paper.
IN THE REPO
NOT IN THE REPO
- —CAD is a cloud Fusion 360 link — there's no STEP pack in the repo
- —BOM lives in a Google Sheet
- —Code is split: the main repo (MIT) plus a Teensy repo and an ODrive fork
- —It's research-grade and sparse — if you want a friendlier build, see Pupper
Can I build this?
Build at your own risk. Projects involve tools, electronics and sometimes mains voltage — follow the creator’s safety notes.
Partner · KickstarterHeyGears G1: 10M+ colors and transparent parts in one print, plus UV printing on flat objects. Figures, parts and labels — no painting.
Videos
Stanford Doggo ICRA Submission Video
The famous jumping demo that put Doggo on the map.
Gallery
Start here
Navigation into the creator’s own docs — we don’t rewrite the guide, we route you to the source.
- 1.Read the paper (the design and the record)
- 2.Watch the jump (why it's famous)
- 3.Open the repo (CAD link + BOM sheet)
- 4.Consider Pupper first (friendlier, cheaper, full build guide)
- 5.Read the Pupper docs (if you go the Pupper route)
Resources
Documentation, files and community threads for this build — we link straight to the original sources and never rehost the creator’s files.
KNOWN ISSUES
- The CAD is a cloud Fusion 360 link — there's no STEP pack in the repo
- The BOM is a Google Sheet and the code is split across repos — this is a research build, not a kit
- If you actually want to build a quadruped as a beginner, start with Pupper, not Doggo
Does it really out-jump animals?
Yes — the team reported a vertical jumping agility record that matches the best animals and beats the previous best robot by a large margin, roughly a one-meter jump.
How does it feel impacts without force sensors?
Quasi-direct-drive brushless motors are backdrivable, so the robot senses contact through the motors themselves, controlled via a modified ODrive.
Is this a good first robot?
No. The repo is sparse and research-grade. Build the team's Pupper first — it has a complete guide — then explore Doggo.
What does it cost?
Band $$ — the BOM sheet has current prices.
Community builds
No community builds yet — be the first, we feature the best ones.
Discussion1
FROM THE COMPAREE TEAM
Doggo feels the ground through backdrivable motors instead of force sensors — the actuators are the sensors. Elegant minimalism, or a fragility you'd engineer out?
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Nathan Kau & Stanford Student Robotics
A Stanford student team built a record-setting jumping quadruped and open-sourced the design and paper, then made the friendlier Pupper so anyone could build a robot dog.
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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.
CompareeTEAM1mo ago
The most useful thing we found is the team's own advice: if you actually want to build a quadruped, start with their friendlier Pupper — Doggo's repo is sparse and research-grade, with CAD as a cloud Fusion 360 link, the BOM in a Google Sheet and code split across three repos. The jumping record that made it famous still holds up as a lovely piece of mechanism design. Anyone gone down the Pupper-then-Doggo path?