TipTap

Based on published sources · Not tested by us · Sources checked 2026-10-01

Overview

Printed desktop biped with four custom torque actuators, two positioning servos and a shared Python simulation/hardware interface; controller-source licensing remains unresolved. [S001]

TipTap is a printed biped intended for desktop walking research. Its Python interface exposes four torque-controlled hip/knee joints and two position-controlled leg servos. The main parts list therefore includes four custom TipTapMotor assemblies as well as two MG92B servos; the motor assemblies are a separate manufacturing task, not four ordinary hobby servos. [S001] [S005] [S009]

Official website · Source code

Specifications

Detail	Description
Type	Desktop biped with two three-axis legs. Reported by source [S001] [S005] · Checked 2026-10-01
Intended users	Researchers able to manufacture custom actuators and commission embedded motor controllers Editorial assessment [S001] · Checked 2026-10-01
Assembly	Robot printed/purchased parts list and assembly images, plus a separate actuator BOM and controller manufacturing/programming instructions. Reported by source [S001] [S009] [S013] · Checked 2026-10-01
Calibration	Motor identity, zero-angle and calibration commands are in pyds; tiptap.py contains build-specific left/right servo calibration ranges. Reported by source [S005] [S006] · Checked 2026-10-01
Operating system	Not known
Computer needed	Not known

3D preview

Preview not available yet. A model has not yet been prepared and approved for display on this page. This does not mean the project lacks CAD files; see Source files and licenses for the reviewed source availability.

Assembly and use

Follow the actuator dependency through to the controller

The robot README lists printed parts, bearings, timing belts, a BeagleBone Blue, power conversion and a USB-RS485 adapter, with assembly-reference images. TipTapMotor adds printed gearbox parts, an iPower GBM3506H-130T motor, bearings, an encoder magnet and a DirectServo PCB. Printing tolerances matter for the gears, according to its instructions. [S001] [S009]

DirectServo's manufacturing folder supplies named Gerber, BOM and component-position artifacts; its instructions also identify manually assembled parts. Programming guidance targets STM32F031C6Tx, then points to USB-RS485 testing examples. Those are concrete source artifacts, but no PCB fabrication, firmware build or complete robot assembly was reproduced here. A current full build budget and component availability remain unverified. [S013] [S014]

Shared calls do not mean automatic physical detection

The documented attraction is a common interface for PyBullet and hardware. In the actual implementation, the presence of the rcpy Python module chooses the hardware branch; otherwise the module imports PyBullet. It does not first verify that a physical robot is connected. The hardware branch uses a fixed serial-device name and motor IDs, while pyds imports serial and supplies calibration, zero-angle and torque commands. These dependencies and configuration choices need review before running the examples on hardware. [S005] [S006]

The README names Python 3.5 or newer, NumPy and PyBullet; the hardware route additionally needs rcpy and the serial interface. Servo calibration constants are present in the implementation. Neither current environment compatibility nor successful motion follows from the shared API design, and no simulation or walking result was reproduced in this review. [S001] [S005] [S006] [S007]

Licensing differs across the stack

TipTap and TipTapMotor each contain an MIT license. DirectServo's preserved archive has board and firmware sources but no root license file in its inventory. A bundled ST system file has its own BSD-style notice, which does not establish the license of the whole controller or board. The catalog therefore records that dependency's reuse terms as unresolved instead of extending TipTap's MIT license across repositories. [S003] [S010] [S014] [S015]

TipTap is a useful partial-source research platform with unusually explicit actuator dependencies. Its remaining work is to confirm controller rights, match a buildable toolchain and parts configuration, and commission the hardware; it is not catalog-qualified as a ready-to-run kit. [S001] [S009] [S013] [S014]

Cost

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

Source files and licenses

Available project sources support research coverage; complete build and commercial qualification remain separate.

Layer	Availability / license
mechanical design	available · MIT Main TipTap repository MIT; separate TipTapMotor repository also declares MIT. DirectServo licensing is assessed separately. [S001] [S003] [S008]
electronics	available · License not fully assessed DirectServo archive contains board/firmware artifacts but no root license in its inventory. ST system-file BSD-style notice is scoped to that file and does not establish a complete board or firmware grant. [S012] [S013] [S014] [S015]
firmware	available · License not fully assessed DirectServo archive contains board/firmware artifacts but no root license in its inventory. ST system-file BSD-style notice is scoped to that file and does not establish a complete board or firmware grant. [S012] [S013] [S014] [S015]
software	available · MIT Main TipTap repository MIT; separate TipTapMotor repository also declares MIT. DirectServo licensing is assessed separately. [S001] [S003] [S008]
documentation	available · MIT Main TipTap repository MIT; separate TipTapMotor repository also declares MIT. DirectServo licensing is assessed separately. [S001] [S003] [S008]

Selected interface/control examples do not require learned weights or a dataset.

References

Links identify the documentation and revisions used in this profile. Access dates record when each source was retrieved.

S001 · DarrenLevine / project contributors
Upstream project overview
Accessed 2026-10-01 · README.md
Source notes
Source text inspected for the cited scoped claims; see profile claim notes.
S002 · DarrenLevine / project contributors
Repository revision and release metadata
Accessed 2026-10-01 · cffe3678b567bb797f57d71d59a13a479c2b3433
Source notes
Source text inspected for the cited scoped claims; see profile claim notes.
S003 · DarrenLevine / project contributors
Repository license
Accessed 2026-10-01 · LICENSE
Source notes
Source text inspected for the cited scoped claims; see profile claim notes.
S004 · DarrenLevine / project contributors
Pinned repository artifact inventory
Accessed 2026-10-01 · cffe3678b567bb797f57d71d59a13a479c2b3433 archive file inventory
Source notes
Source text inspected for the cited scoped claims; see profile claim notes.
S005 · DarrenLevine / project contributors
Pinned software/tiptap.py
Accessed 2026-10-01 · software/tiptap.py
Source notes
Source text inspected for the cited scoped claims; see profile claim notes.
S006 · DarrenLevine / project contributors
Pinned software/pyds.py
Accessed 2026-10-01 · software/pyds.py
Source notes
Source text inspected for the cited scoped claims; see profile claim notes.
S007 · DarrenLevine / project contributors
Pinned software/example_OperatingTipTap.py
Accessed 2026-10-01 · software/example_OperatingTipTap.py
Source notes
Source text inspected for the cited scoped claims; see profile claim notes.
S008 · DarrenLevine / project contributors
Pinned TipTap filenames
Accessed 2026-10-01 · Complete archive inventory
Source notes
Source text inspected for the cited scoped claims; see profile claim notes.
S009 · DarrenLevine / project contributors
TipTapMotor overview
Accessed 2026-10-01 · 1e1361dd1b1c71887f28c30fb43de950e3cbc7b5
Source notes
Source text inspected for the cited scoped claims; see profile claim notes.
S010 · DarrenLevine / project contributors
TipTapMotor license
Accessed 2026-10-01 · 1e1361dd1b1c71887f28c30fb43de950e3cbc7b5
Source notes
Source text inspected for the cited scoped claims; see profile claim notes.
S011 · DarrenLevine / project contributors
TipTapMotor preservation and inventory
Accessed 2026-10-01 · 1e1361dd1b1c71887f28c30fb43de950e3cbc7b5
Source notes
Source text inspected for the cited scoped claims; see profile claim notes.
S012 · DarrenLevine / project contributors
DirectServo overview
Accessed 2026-10-01 · 01ffecc8ec55ec1752843c2347c9557937959458
Source notes
Source text inspected for the cited scoped claims; see profile claim notes.
S013 · DarrenLevine / project contributors
DirectServo manufacturing instructions
Accessed 2026-10-01 · 01ffecc8ec55ec1752843c2347c9557937959458
Source notes
Source text inspected for the cited scoped claims; see profile claim notes.
S014 · DarrenLevine / project contributors
DirectServo preservation and inventory
Accessed 2026-10-01 · 01ffecc8ec55ec1752843c2347c9557937959458
Source notes
Source text inspected for the cited scoped claims; see profile claim notes.
S015 · DarrenLevine / project contributors
DirectServo ST system-file notice
Accessed 2026-10-01 · File-specific BSD-style notice, not a whole-project grant
Source notes
Source text inspected for the cited scoped claims; see profile claim notes.

Research and review details

Source research only; no installation, physical build or performance test performed. No affiliate links added.

Profile edited 2026-10-01 · Sources checked 2026-10-01 · Next review target 2026-10-31

Revision: cffe3678b567bb797f57d71d59a13a479c2b3433 (commit snapshot; no published stable release found). Combined hardware and software repository activity recorded 2020-10-05 [S002]

Correction guidance · Discussion is not enabled · Profile format 0.6.0-draft.1

Change history