Robot / Desktop manipulator / Source researched
SO-101: budget for the follower and the leader separately
SO-101 is a printable arm used for teleoperation and robot-learning experiments with LeRobot. A follower is the powered arm that performs the task; the leader is the separate arm you move to demonstrate it. Decide whether you need both before comparing parts prices. [S001] [S005]
What the published budget includes
The upstream US bill of materials lists $121.94 for one follower and $229.88 for a follower plus leader in its 7.4V configuration. These are maintainer-published reference subtotals, not prices we obtained from a fresh checkout. They include the listed servos, controller boards, cables, supplies, clamps and screwdriver set. [S005]
Printing is described separately. Camera, host computer, assembly time, delivery and taxes are not established by those subtotals. We have not checked individual vendor stock. Treat the figures as a way to compare configurations, then price the exact build you intend to assemble. [S005]
Printing the frame is one part of the work
The repository provides printable mechanical files and STEP files. The LeRobot guide also requires motor configuration and calibration; a printed frame with assembled joints is not yet a verified control setup. We have not assembled or calibrated this robot, so there is no measured build time or task-success result in this profile. [S001] [S006]
Source availability has boundaries
The design repository has an Apache-2.0 root license. LeRobot's control software has its own Apache-2.0 license and third-party notices. These findings do not establish that every purchased controller or servo includes redistributable electronics designs and firmware. We did not locate a complete set of those sources in the reviewed arm repository and guide. [S001] [S003] [S005] [S007]
For a first build, use the configuration-specific assembly guide and keep the power supply, motor configuration and calibration instructions together. The cost scenarios and source layers below show what we could establish from documents; none are hands-on test results.
Indicative costs by configuration
These are reported figures, not our measured build costs. Check the reference date, inclusions and availability before budgeting.
One follower; upstream 7.4V servo configuration
USD 121.94 · bom estimate · Quantity 1 [S005]
1 follower/robot; 0 leader. Upstream US price column. Checked 2026-09-29.
Includes: Listed servos, controller board(s), cables, power supply/supplies, clamps and screwdriver set.
Excludes: Printed frame/material; Camera; Host computer; Assembly labor; Delivery and taxes not established.
Availability: Individual vendor stock not rechecked. Not established; no delivered total quoted.
Printed parts and host computer; camera and learning workload requirements depend on intended task. Maintainer-published US BOM subtotal, not a current checkout quote or our measured spend.
One follower plus one leader; upstream 7.4V servo configuration
USD 229.88 · bom estimate · Quantity 1 [S005]
1 follower/robot; 1 leader. Upstream US price column. Checked 2026-09-29.
Includes: Listed servos, controller board(s), cables, power supply/supplies, clamps and screwdriver set.
Excludes: Printed frame/material; Camera; Host computer; Assembly labor; Delivery and taxes not established.
Availability: Individual vendor stock not rechecked. Not established; no delivered total quoted.
Printed parts and host computer; camera and learning workload requirements depend on intended task. Maintainer-published US BOM subtotal, not a current checkout quote or our measured spend.
At a glance
| Detail | What we found | Evidence |
|---|---|---|
| Intended audience | Builders exploring arm teleoperation and robot learning Editorial fit based on upstream build/setup documentation, not tested suitability. | inferred [S001] Checked 2026-09-29 |
| Robot form | Desktop manipulator | reported [S001] Checked 2026-09-29 |
| Assembly / fabrication | Source the specified parts, print the frame, follow assembly and configure/calibrate motors. | reported [S001] Checked 2026-09-29 |
| Scope of upstream activity date | mixed_repository Scope of the previously collected repository metadata; migration did not refetch upstream. | inferred [S002] Checked 2026-09-29 |
What is open?
Mechanical design and control software sources are available. Complete electronics/servo firmware sources and all component licenses are not established; no blanket fully-open claim.
| Layer | Availability / license |
|---|---|
| mechanical design | available · Apache-2.0 Repository root license; this does not assign a license to separately purchased components. [S006] [S003] |
| electronics | not found · License not assessed for all artifacts No complete controller/servo electronics design or servo firmware source was established from the inspected build guide and design repository. Off-the-shelf component sources require further investigation. [S001] [S005] |
| firmware | not found · License not assessed for all artifacts No complete controller/servo electronics design or servo firmware source was established from the inspected build guide and design repository. Off-the-shelf component sources require further investigation. [S001] [S005] |
| software | available · Apache-2.0 Control/training library; not servo firmware. [S001] [S007] |
| model weights | Not applicable to this profile This entry covers the physical arm and teleoperation build; a particular learned policy or training dataset is not included. |
| datasets | Not applicable to this profile This entry covers the physical arm and teleoperation build; a particular learned policy or training dataset is not included. |
| documentation | available · License not assessed for all artifacts Build guide available; this profile does not assign a blanket documentation/media license. [S001] |
References and attribution
Reference access dates record retrieval; individual claim-check dates appear with the facts. Follow the cited revision where a current page differs.
- S001 · Hugging Face / LeRobot contributors
SO-101 documentation
upstream · Accessed 2026-09-29 · OverviewA printable robot arm for teleoperation and robot-learning experiments.
- S002 · TheRobotStudio / SO-ARM contributors
Default-branch commit snapshot
upstream · Accessed 2026-09-29 · 5f6d2b876a53a4872e405b991dd925556c9e38a4Commit date refers to this repository default branch; it is not a hardware revision or a release date.
- S003 · TheRobotStudio / SO-ARM contributors
Repository license
license · Accessed 2026-09-29 · LICENSE fileRepository-level license: Apache-2.0. Coverage of individual artifacts still needs review.
- S005 · TheRobotStudio / SO-ARM contributors
SO-101 upstream bill of materials
upstream · Accessed 2026-09-29 · Parts for One Follower Arm; Parts For Two Arms; Printing the PartsUS-column reference subtotals: $121.94 for one follower and $229.88 for follower plus leader. Printing is described separately. Vendor prices, stock, delivery and taxes have not been re-quoted.
- S006 · TheRobotStudio / SO-ARM contributors
SO-101 design files
upstream · Accessed 2026-09-29 · STL and STEP directoriesPrintable mechanical files are available in the STL directory; STEP files are also present in the repository.
- S007 · Hugging Face / LeRobot contributors
LeRobot software license
license · Accessed 2026-09-29 · LICENSELeRobot repository root license is Apache-2.0 with third-party notices.
Disclosures and discussion
Source-researched with Codex assistance and a separate LLM editorial judge. No hardware was purchased or tested for this entry; no affiliate links or paid placement.
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What to include in a correction · Community policy
Explore another workflow
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Change history
September 29, 2026 — First research profile published. No test result is claimed.