Open Source RoboticsRobots, software & learning

MEVION

Robot / hardware build

Metal-arm leader/follower data-collection platform with single, dual and four-arm software configurations; the original CyberGear-hand assembly must be kept separate from the RobStride01-hand variant. [1] [4] [5]

Build & first use →Official websiteUpstream build guideBill of materials

For
Robotics researchers familiar with machined metal arms, ROS 2, CAN motor control and Python [1] [4] [6]
Cost
No current cost yet. Upstream bill of materials [6]
Source rights
Some licenses are unresolved. Review licenses
Unknowns
host computer, tools not fully established. Review gaps

Source researched · Not tested by us
Sources checked · Research details

Licenses & related hardware
License
MIT · license not fully assessed for mechanical design · Details by part

Requirements · Research details and dates

On this page

Overview

MEVION is a metal-arm leader/follower manipulation platform whose software supports single, dual and four-arm configurations. Those modes are not equivalent shopping lists. Begin by choosing how many arms you need, which are leaders or followers, and which gripper design matches the selected control configuration. The repository and its linked Drive material provide a useful design reference, with several differences to resolve before buying parts. [1] [4] [5] [6]

In the selected parameters, single selects one arm, dual selects one leader/follower pair, and quad selects two leader/follower pairs. Thus the documented dual mode supplies one follower arm; two follower arms with matching leaders belong to the four-arm configuration. [4]

Is this for you?

Known limitations
  • Original Drive assembly is identified as mevion+hand1 with CyberGear; mevion2.STEP is the separate RobStride01 hand2 variant and was not inspected.
  • Hardware README and parent-folder listing supply different 3D-print folder URLs; reconcile this mismatch before printing.
  • Root LICENSE.txt is MIT while package.xml retains an unfinished license placeholder; metadata is incomplete.
  • No separate grant for the external Drive CAD/BOM was identified in the accompanying hardware README; code MIT is not assumed to settle hardware or media rights.
  • The parts list separates arm and hand selections; printing, fasteners, tools, power, delivery and a full four-arm installation are not a verified current total.
  • No dependency installation, CAD-kernel validation, commissioning, teleoperation or data collection was performed.

Scope and source discrepancies observed during document and artifact inspection, not runtime tests.

[1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7] · Editorial assessment

What you need

Operating system
  • Ubuntu 24.04 with ROS 2 Jazzy

[1]

Dependencies
  • ROS 2 Jazzy Desktop, colcon and rosdep
  • Python venv with --system-site-packages
  • scikit-robot 0.3.19 and scikit-robot-pyrender 0.1.50
  • MuJoCo 3.2.3, mujoco-python-viewer 0.1.4 and IPython >=8
  • ROS package dependencies include Pinocchio and python3-can

[1] [3] [9]

Hardware & parts

Upstream bill of materials [6]

Hardware configuration

Tabletop manipulator system with single, dual and four-arm configurations; leader and follower hand parts differ.

[1] [5] [6]

Actuators
  • Selected parameters assign each arm three RobStride03 and three RobStride02 motors plus a CyberGear gripper motor

[4]

Assembly & first use

Open the upstream getting-started guide [1] · Project documentation [5]

  • Choose single, dual or four-arm mode, leader/follower roles and the original CyberGear-hand or revised RobStride01-hand mechanical variant.
  • Follow the documented Ubuntu 24.04 / Jazzy rosdep and Python virtual-environment route; do not treat a different ROS generation as equivalent.
  • Inspect setup_sim() and the matching robot description before hardware use; separately reconcile motor types, per-bus IDs and calibration values for setup_real().

Editorial assessment from the cited source scope; no reproduction or compatibility test.

[1] [4] [5] [9] · Editorial assessment

Calibration

The selected parameters define motor directions, offset thresholds and calibration joint angles for the upstream arm configuration.

[4]

Cost

No current, complete configuration-specific build cost has been established for this profile.

Budget the selected system and preserve the license gap

The parts list is a sourcing reference, not a verified complete current price. Some printing and fastener entries have no complete priced coverage, and its ancillary list includes tools, connectors, power and frame information. Delivery, tax, fabrication labor and a complete first-working four-arm installation were not costed. This profile therefore leaves the current total unknown instead of presenting one arm's historical estimate as a finished system price. [6]

The repository's LICENSE.txt is MIT, but package.xml still has an unfinished license field. The root notice establishes a declaration for repository material; it does not automatically settle the external Drive CAD or purchased motor electronics. No separate hardware license was identified in the inspected hardware README and parts-list scope. Preserve these limits when deciding whether to manufacture or redistribute a design. [2] [3] [5] [6]

This profile is source research and original assembly-file inspection. No upstream compilation, dependency installation, CAD fit or strength check, assembly, calibration, teleoperation, data collection or physical performance test was performed. Upstream files are linked, not redistributed.

3D preview

Preview not available yet. The original assembly STEP was downloaded and inspected as file content, without a CAD-kernel fit check. No hosted preview has been generated; the separate external hardware reuse terms remain unresolved.

Model sources

The original assembly STEP was downloaded and inspected as file content, without a CAD-kernel fit check. No hosted preview has been generated; the separate external hardware reuse terms remain unresolved.

Project notes

Keep the two hand assemblies separate

The hardware README identifies mevion.STEP as the arm with hand1 and a CyberGear gripper motor. It identifies mevion2.STEP separately as the hand2 configuration using RobStride01. We downloaded and inspected the original CyberGear-hand assembly: it contains STEP solid and assembly entities. This was file-container and text inspection, not a CAD-kernel import, fit check or verification of the second assembly. [5] [7]

The pinned software parameters also select CyberGear for each gripper, with three RobStride03 and three RobStride02 motors for each arm. They map the four-arm arrangement across can0 through can3. That makes the original hand the explicit reference for this review; the existence of another supported motor type in a library is not proof that the revised hand is a drop-in replacement. [4]

The parts list separates the arm, hand1 and hand2 selections, and distinguishes follower gripper pieces from leader operator pieces. Count the chosen roles before multiplying a one-arm subtotal into a system budget. A manipulator pair is not the same configuration as a four-arm leader/follower installation. [6]

Check the printing link, not just the file name

The hardware document's 3D-print link points to a different folder URL from the STEP-3Dprinter directory listed in the MEVION parent folder. Reconcile those routes rather than assuming either directory contains the intended parts. Use the selected arm/hand design and part names to establish the print files before fabrication. [5] [6] [11]

Both the assembly file and the parts list are separate Drive snapshots. Their provider modification dates do not establish that they are synchronized with the selected repository commit. Keep the downloaded file identity and source revision in the build record, and resolve any geometry, motor or fastener differences explicitly. [5] [6] [7]

The documented software route is Ubuntu 24.04 and Jazzy

The README specifies Ubuntu 24.04 with ROS 2 Jazzy Desktop. It uses rosdep for ROS dependencies, a Python virtual environment created with --system-site-packages, and colcon for the workspace build. The additional requirements pin scikit-robot 0.3.19, scikit-robot-pyrender 0.1.50, MuJoCo 3.2.3 and mujoco-python-viewer 0.1.4; IPython has a lower bound rather than an exact pin. This is a documented installation route, not one reproduced by us. [1] [3] [9]

For an initial software investigation, choose a robot mode and inspect setup_sim() alongside the matching URDF and scene. The README distinguishes that path from setup_real(). The real configuration needs its own CAN mapping, motor directions and calibration angles; upstream parameter values do not calibrate a new arm. No controller connection, simulation or powered command was tested here. [1] [4] [8]

What we checked

Source research only. Original STEP payloads and selected source code were inspected, without CAD-kernel parsing, fit or strength validation, upstream compilation, dependency installation, simulation, fabrication, motor commissioning, training or physical performance tests. Source assets are linked, not redistributed. No supplier endorsement or current checkout quote.

Not yet established

  • Requirements: host computer, tools

Updates

Upstream last updated
Not established
Latest release
Not established
Profile updated
Nov 1, 2026
Sources last checked
Nov 1, 2026
Next review
Dec 1, 2026
Reviewed revision
c1b5ab22c4fd45369b8b03fee5125a8d0d735fde (software); Drive assembly snapshot retrieved 2026-11-01

Source files and licenses

Distinct physical research platform with inspected assembly STEP payload, parts list, simulation descriptions and control implementation. Include as a source-researched design reference; fabrication completeness and independent reproduction remain unverified.

LayerAvailability / license
mechanical designavailable · License not fully assessed
Original assembly STEP payload has ISO-10303 header/footer, solid and assembly entities. Separate Drive hardware license not identified; no commercial clearance or manufacturability claim. [5] [7]
electronicsnot found · License not fully assessed
No purchased actuator electronics/firmware source was identified in the reviewed repository tree and hardware README/parts-list scope. This bounded search does not prove source is absent elsewhere. [1] [6] [10]
firmwarenot found · License not fully assessed
No purchased actuator electronics/firmware source was identified in the reviewed repository tree and hardware README/parts-list scope. This bounded search does not prove source is absent elsewhere. [1] [6] [10]
softwareavailable · MIT
Root MIT declaration; package metadata retains an unfinished placeholder. External Drive material and dependencies have separate unresolved rights. [1] [2] [3] [8]
documentationavailable · MIT
Root MIT declaration; package metadata retains an unfinished placeholder. External Drive material and dependencies have separate unresolved rights. [1] [2] [3]

No dataset or learned policy is selected as a requirement for this profile's initial model-inspection workflow.

References

Each source links to the exact revision we read. “Used for” shows where this page relies on it.

Correction guidance · Discussion is not enabled · Profile format 0.7.0-draft.5

Change history