What is Asimov 1?
Asimov 1 is a physical AI tool — an open humanoid robot from Menlo built for researchers and roboticists who want to test AI policies and agents on real hardware. It stands 1.2 m tall, weighs 35 kg, and is rated for 5 kg per arm with peaks up to 15 kg, and its design is open enough that you can "3D print, swap, and customize parts around your use case." A core feature is sim-to-real training: you "train a policy on its digital twin and run the exact same one on the robot," which supports research into teleoperation, autonomous data collection, and agent deployment. The platform leans into open hardware and repairability — "right to repair is built in," and it ships with a step-by-step assembly manual and a bill of materials so teams can build or service it themselves. It ships globally, with local assembly and service partners in the USA and Singapore, and the maker describes it as battle-tested in real labs and workshops. If you want the best AI humanoid robot platform for agentic research rather than a closed consumer product, Asimov 1 is aimed at that work. On BestAIFor it is listed among physical AI tools.
What is Asimov 1 used for?
testing AI policies and agents on real hardware, sim-to-real training, teleoperation, and robotics data collection
How much does Asimov 1 cost?
Pros and cons
Pros
- Sim-to-real workflow: train a policy on the digital twin and run the identical policy on the physical robot
- Open and customizable hardware — 3D print, swap, and modify parts for your use case
- Right to repair is built in, with a step-by-step assembly manual and full bill of materials
- Concrete specs for research planning: 1.2 m tall, 35 kg, 5 kg per arm rated and up to 15 kg at peak
- Ships globally with local assembly and service partners in the USA and Singapore
Cons
- Full pricing is not published; ordering requires a $499 deposit with the total cost unstated
- Aimed squarely at AI researchers and robotics engineers, not general or consumer users
- DIY assembly and self-service repair demand hardware skills and time
- Arm payload (5 kg rated) suits research tasks more than heavy industrial lifting
Questions about Asimov 1
What is Asimov 1 used for?
Asimov 1 is an open humanoid robot used to test AI policies and agents on real hardware, collect data from autonomous operation, and run teleoperation and sim-to-real research, aimed at AI researchers and robotics labs.
How much does Asimov 1 cost?
Ordering requires a $499 deposit. The full price is not published on the product page, so you would need to confirm the total with Menlo before ordering.
Can you customize or repair Asimov 1 yourself?
Yes. Parts can be 3D printed, swapped, and customized, and right to repair is built in. The robot ships with a step-by-step assembly manual and a bill of materials for building or servicing it.
What are Asimov 1's specifications?
It is 1.2 m tall and weighs 35 kg, with arms rated for 5 kg each and up to 15 kg at peak. It supports training a policy on a digital twin and running the exact same policy on the physical robot.
What are the best alternatives to Asimov 1?
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