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XLEROBOT: A HOUSEHOLD ROBOT ON AN IKEA CART

A dual-arm mobile robot built on a RASKOG cart — drive it with a keyboard, an Xbox pad, or a Quest 3 VR headset, then teach it to do chores.

by Gaotian Wang (Vector-Wangel)

FULL CAD BOM FIRMWARE DOCS

RoboticsAI

Built with3D printing

difficulty
●●●●○
time
a weekend-plus
license
Apache-2.0
repo
repo ACTIVE5,566 stars

WHAT YOU’LL NEED

Videos
1
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COMPAREE VERDICT

This is the most fun 'future home robot' on our list, and it's real. XLeRobot mounts two low-cost SO-101-style arms and a camera head on an IKEA RÅSKOG cart, so a big chunk of the chassis is a trolley you can buy today. It reuses the cheap STS3215 servos of the SO-ARM ecosystem, and you can drive it with a keyboard, an Xbox controller, a Switch Joy-Con, or full Quest 3 VR teleoperation, then use those demos to train it with Hugging Face LeRobot. The creator quotes a basic build at about 660 dollars and under 4 hours of assembly once parts are printed and delivered; sourcing 17 servos and setting up the software takes longer. The VLA training tutorial is still a temporary version, but there is an official WowRobo assembly video and a browser simulation to play with first.

GOOD TO KNOW

  • —STL + STEP in the repo (hardware/step/...), full BOM in the docs
  • —Control software for keyboard/Xbox/VR is included (XLeVR)
  • —A temporary VLA training tutorial is available; the official version is still announced as 'soon'.
  • —There's a browser sim so you can try it before building

Parts to buy

5 items

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

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Can I build this?

Printstructural parts (STL provided); STEP for editing
Buy17× STS3215 servos, an IKEA RASKOG cart, a power station, omni wheels, optional RealSense
Tools3D printer, hex drivers, soldering for wiring
Skillssolid assembly patience; Python for the LeRobot side; VR optional
Timea weekend — the creator quotes under 4 hours of assembly once parts are printed and delivered, plus time for software setup and teleop practice
Costband $$ — about 660 dollars for the basic build per the creator (excluding printing, tools, shipping and taxes), more with the Raspberry Pi or RealSense upgrades; current prices in the creator's material list
Safetylow-voltage; two moving arms — keep the workspace clear

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

Videos

XLeRobot 0.3.0 Assembly Guide (WowRobo)39:53

Official ~40-minute assembly walkthrough from the kit partner, linked in the README.

Try it in your browser (MuJoCo + 3D Gaussian Splatting)

article

play with the robot before you build it

Full documentation

article

BOM, assembly, simulation, VLA tutorial

More builds like this

All projects
3D print this robot arm, show it a task, and it learns to repeat itRoboticsOpenArm: A Research-Grade Force-Feedback Robot ArmRoboticsALOHA: The Stanford Robot That Learns From YouRobotics

Gallery

The XLeRobot hero renderXLeRobot
Household demo on the mecanum baseXLeRobot
Exploded view of the RGBD gimbal headXLeRobot
VR teleoperation setupXLeRobot

Start here

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

  1. 1.Try the browser sim (no build required)
  2. 2.Read the docs (BOM + assembly)
  3. 3.Order the material list (servos, cart, power)
  4. 4.Follow the assembly video (~40 min, WowRobo)
  5. 5.Join the Discord (community + VR help)

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 README says the cost excludes 3D printing, tools, shipping and taxes, and it asks complete beginners to spend at least a day getting comfortable with Python, Ubuntu and GitHub first.
  • The VLA training tutorial is still a temporary version — expect to teach the robot through teleoperation and to follow an evolving guide.
  • 17 servos is the main cost and the main assembly effort — pace yourself across sub-assemblies

Is a big part of it really an IKEA cart?

Yes — the base is built around an IKEA RASKOG trolley, which keeps the chassis cheap and repeatable. The arms, head and electronics are what you add.

Can I control it with VR?

Yes — it supports keyboard, Xbox controller, Switch joycon, and full Quest 3 VR teleoperation via the included XLeVR/TeleGrip software.

Can I try before building?

Yes — there's a browser simulation (MuJoCo + Gaussian splatting) you can drive right now.

What does it cost?

The creator puts the basic build at about 660 dollars (about 680 euros), excluding 3D printing, tools, shipping and taxes. A Raspberry Pi adds about 79 dollars and a RealSense depth camera about 220. WowRobo also sells a developer kit for 579 dollars without the battery and the IKEA cart.

Community builds

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

Discussion1

FROM THE COMPAREE TEAM

The chassis is literally an IKEA RASKOG cart — cheap, identical everywhere on Earth. Is commodity furniture the smartest robot base you've seen, or a ceiling the project will regret?

CompareeTEAM2mo ago

The feature we'd try first: a browser-based simulation built on MuJoCo and Gaussian splatting lets you drive the robot before printing a single part. Worth tempering expectations on autonomy, though — the pretrained VLA models are announced but not shipped, so today you teach it chores by teleoperation via keyboard, Xbox pad or a Quest 3. What household task would you trust a dual-arm cart with first?

3D print this robot arm, show it a task, and it learns to repeat it

●●●○○ · the arm ecosystem XLeRobot builds on

ALOHA: The Stanford Robot That Learns From You

●●●●○ · a bimanual teleoperation platform with a research pedigree

You can 3D-print your own walking Star Wars BD-X droid - fully open-source

●●●●○ · if you want a legged AI robot instead of a wheeled one

Gaotian Wang (Vector-Wangel)

Built an affordable dual-arm home robot on an IKEA cart, documented bilingually, with VR teleop and a browser sim. Ships a dev kit with WowRobo.

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.
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