Purpose Robotics — Semi-Humanoid Robot Under $2,000
A semi-humanoid robot with dual manipulator arms built for under $2,000, demonstrating autonomous pick-and-place manipulation on a standard tabletop.
Demo Video
Overview
Purpose Robotics set out to answer a simple question: how capable a semi-humanoid manipulator can you build for under $2,000? The result is a torso-and-head platform with dual arms, each with enough degrees of freedom to reach across a tabletop workspace and manipulate everyday objects.
Mechanical Design
The chassis, head, and arm links are 3D-printed, keeping structural cost low while allowing rapid iteration on link lengths and joint layouts. Each arm is a chain of servo actuators terminating in a custom gripper, sized to pick up small consumer items reliably.
Results & Achievements
The robot demonstrates autonomous pick-and-place, identifying objects on the table and placing them into a bin without manual teleoperation for each pick — showing that a functional humanoid-style manipulator is achievable well outside typical research-lab budgets.