Editor’s note / 001

The gap between a robot demo and a robot on your desk.

A publication about everything it takes to make a promising open source project work in someone else’s hands.

You see a robot pick up an object. The code is online. The design files are available. You want to try it.

Then come the questions. Which version of the arm? Which motors? Does the parts list include the camera and power supply? What computer does it need? How many attempts happened before the successful one in the video?

Those questions are the starting point for Open Source Robotics.

We test open source robots, explain what actually works, and supply the parts to reproduce the result.

From interesting to buildable.

Open projects give us something valuable: a chance to inspect, adapt, and learn from the work. Shared tools such as LeRobot bring robot control, datasets, and training into a common workflow. Projects such as the SO-101 arm provide a concrete place to begin.

But access to files is only part of the experience. Someone still has to assemble the hardware, resolve the dependencies, calibrate the system, and find out whether the result is repeatable.

That practical work is what we want to report on.

What you should expect here.

Our build reports will document the entire path: the exact parts, total cost assumptions, setup time, software versions, test conditions, and fixes. We want to show enough of the process for you to decide whether the project is right for you—and to attempt it yourself.

Some results will be limited. Some instructions will need correcting. A useful publication makes those details visible and keeps them up to date.

Why a shop belongs alongside it.

If a tested combination of parts saves someone hours of sourcing and troubleshooting, a complete bundle could be useful. That is something we intend to establish through actual builds and reader experience.

The public bill of materials comes first. Buying from us should be an option that makes the work easier. You should always be able to follow the instructions and obtain the parts elsewhere.

We’re at the beginning.

We haven’t completed a hardware test or released a kit yet. Our next step is to select one desktop robot and one observable task, then document the process carefully.

If you enjoy the mechanics, the code, and the patient work between the two, this publication is for you.

Follow the publication for the first build and future field notes. Our editorial standards explain how we intend to test, disclose, and maintain the work.