Designed with an eye towards classrooms or for robotic competitions, all of the humanoid robot kits explored in this article are no more than puzzles with a big impact on education and contests.

The classroom activity as well as the activity in competitions is a new experience for every student that tries to learn about robotics and in the same time to have fun doing it.

I write this article to help you to take the decision and choose the best robotics kit based on features, the flexibility of the platform and the field of use.

No matter which kit you decide to use, all of these wonderful piece of metal and plastic are engineered to give students an iterative engineering experience and the opportunity to the learn more about robots.

Gowe

The human-like robot Gowe enters in the list of many reasonably priced robotic kits having a cost of about $249. At this price the combo kit provides you everything you need to have an operational robot able for a wide range of movements using all of the 17 degrees of freedom.

The Gowe can move his head, the arms, the shoulder, and the legs. Working with a variable speed, the robot is able to walk forward or backwards, it can turn in place left or right, and can do many acrobatic moves.

What the kit contains and features

According to manufacturer’s instruction, the package includes almost all the necessary parts to start working with the robot. An important piece is not included in the kit and this is the battery. The recommendation is to be used a 6.0 Volt Ni-MH 1600mAh battery pack that can provide enough power for several minutes.

As any walking robot, the weight is a major concern and the best approach is to keep the weight down. Built from aluminum, the jaw has the perfect weight/power ratio for a flexible robot able to walk or to turn in place.

The components included in the package

• 16 x Multi-functional servo bracket;
• 7 x Short U-type servo bracket;
• 4 x Long U-type servo bracket;
• 4 x Oblique U-type servo bracket;
• 4 x one-type servo bracket;
• 4 x L-type servo bracket;
• 1 x U-type robot waist bracket;
• 2 x Foot Base;
• 14 x Miniature Ball Radial Bearing;
• 1 x Screw and screw cap set;

Why to purchase this kit and area of use

The decision to buy or not this kit can be based on at least two features: the price (it has the lowest price for a humanoid robot kit) and its capabilities for walking and turning in place.

Used by educators in classrooms, the robot is a good teaching platform to teach the children how the robots work or how to play with.

The robot can be used also in competitions or by hobbyists to develop programming and electronics skills.

Rapiro

At a price of $450, Rapiro is the second robot kit that provides you endless possibilities based on a programmable DIY robotic platform. Recommended for kids aged 15 and upwards, the 1Kg robot is a versatile platform that can be programmed via USB port.

Easy to assemble and available at an affordable price, this cute robot host a lot of servos, sensors, camera, and its brain is a Raspberry Pi board (the single board computer missing from the package). Even the robot is controlled using the powerful Raspberry Pi board, the servo control board is Arduino compatible.

What the kit contains and features

The body is built from 30 pieces. All the body parts, servo motors, screws, cables, and two pre-programmed RAPIRO board are included in the standard kit. According to manufacturer’s instructions, with five AA Ni-MH batteries the robot can work for between 45 and 90 minutes.

The standard kit doesn’t include components such as batteries, AC adaptor, the Raspberry Pi board, or sensors.

The components included in the package

• 12 x Servo motors;
• 50 x Screws;
• 2 x Cables;
• 2 x Pre-programmed RAPIRO board;

Why to purchase this kit and area of use

The RAPIRO is definitely an educational platform that allows students to learn about interfacing robotic parts such as servos and sensors with two of the most popular embedded platforms: Raspberry Pi or Arduino.

Another reason to buy this platform is regarding its limitless possibilities for programming and embedded components. If you’re a student, a hobbyist, or a teacher, the RAPIRO is a good start to dig into the robotics area for electronics and programming skills.

Revolution JD

At a price of about $500, the Revolution JD is expected to revolutionize the humanoid robot kits with a wide range of options and features. It has a body designed on idea to resemble a human, and for this it has available 16 degrees of freedom maintained by 16 Heavy Duty servos.

The 16 degrees of freedom are far away from the 244 degrees of freedom of a human body. The idea is to have a platform able to simulate some human-like movements, and in this area is placed the JD.
The EZ-Builder Software provides you a huge flexibility to add hundreds of controls.

What the kit contains and features

Like almost any human-like robot able to walk and grasp objects, the JD has a head, two arms, and two legs. The gripper is engineered to hold objects with different sizes, and it can grasp objects safety using a sense system that includes a tension mechanism to save servo life.

The robot is able to walk and communicate with humans through simple animations and up to 1 million color combination for eyes.

The components included in the package

• the kit comes with a functional body;
• the EZ-Builder software;

Why to purchase this kit and area of use

The robot kit can be purchased for many purposes, but with its features for walk, see, hear and interact with their surroundings, this robot has a great potential in applications for human interaction, for study the interaction between robots and human tools, the interaction of robots with the environment, or study the bipedal locomotion.

Any help is welcome anytime and anywhere. With a large and active community, you may find a solution for any of your problems.

RQ-HUNO

The RQ-HUNO kit offer a wide range of features able to detect obstacles, to detect sounds, or to be controlled remotely with an Android device. The assembled robotic kit has a price of $550 and is ready to walk in a minute right after the unboxing process.
Even it is one of the smallest human-like robots, the RQ-HUNO can be programmed to increase its abilities and is compatible with Microsoft Robotics Developer Studio.

What the kit contains and features

The standard platform has a total of 16 degrees of freedom, enough to allow the mobile platform to walk or to be used in applications for human interaction. Optionally the robot can be connected via Bluetooth technology.

The components included in the package

• 1 x IR sensor;
• 1 x sound sensor;
• 1 x loudspeaker ;
• 1 x power: 11V Li-poly (50-60 minutes);
• 1 x internal LED: Blue LED in Smart Servo;

Why to purchase this kit and area of use

With its capabilities, its goal is to be used as an educational tool where the children learn about robots and how to interact with these.

HOVIS

HOVIS is 100% a Japanese robot with advanced capabilities for connectivity and a wide range of abilities. This Japanese humanoid robot is available at a price of $730, and its platform can be used to build up to 20 different robots.

With a tall of 35 centimeters and with its flexible structure that allow the users to choose between the omni wheel and the legs, the HOVIS could be easily associated with the next generation of humanoid kits. As an ultimate mechatronics tool, the robot provides a multi-level software platform and a wireless content terminal.

What the kit contains and features

The standard version has a weight of 1.45 Kilograms that can be increased by adding optional components such as a full cover, a 3.5 inch MID, brackets, or a gyro sensor. Also in standard mode, the kit has 16 degrees of freedom, which can be extended up to 24 degrees of freedom by adding more servos.

The components included in the package

• 1 x full body;
• 1 x controller: Atmega 128 MCU;
• 1 x battery: 7.4V 2800mA Li-Po ;
• 1 x distance sensor;
• 1 x IR Remote Control;
• 1 x DR-Sim (3D Simulator);
• 1 x DR-Visual Logic (Task Editor);

Why to purchase this kit and area of use

The HOVIS has a large target audience including here the competitions and the use in a particular classroom.
In competitions, the HOVIS can use its abilities for fights where pushups or the karate moves can improve the changes to become a winner.

Also, the kit can be expandable with several other components that prepare it for the Robot Combat League.

Kondo KHR-2HV

With Kondo KHR-2HV we enter into the area of advanced humanoid robots that can be used in competitions. It has a price of $1,650 and is designed on the idea of a flexible robot platform that can be used for both beginners and hobbyists.

The kit can be assembled by anyone and ready for action in minutes after the unboxing process.

What the kit contains and features

The Japanese robot comes as a complete system ready to be turned on and thrown into competitions.

The components included in the package

• 1 X RCB-3J Control Board with 24 PWM input/output and 3 analog input ports;
• 17 X KRS-788HV ICS Digital Servos 10kg/cm, 0.14sec/60deg;
• 1 x USB to Serial Cable;
• 1 x 10.8V 300 mAH NiMH battery pack;
• 1 x AC Charger (100V);
• 1 x frames, brackets and all necessary hardware;
• 1 x Software CD (Japanese);

Why to purchase this kit and area of use

The KHR-2HV has the experience of the Kondo CUP KHR Cup. This experience was translated into precision and fast movements, as well as fast shoots and fast turns.

If you need a champion robot for fight competition, perhaps this is the most affordable kit that can be used by beginners and up to advance competitors.

BIOLOID GP

Optimized from both weight and performance, the BIOLOID GP is one of the most advanced humanoid robot kits that can be used in various missions given at competitions. For the standard model the price is $2,800 and the package includes all the components.
With its ultra-light and strength aluminum body, the GP is armed with versatile performances and powerful mobility.

What the kit contains and features

The kit is very easy to use and comes fully functional right from the box. The Dynamixel actuators of the robot have the ability to track its speed, temperature, shaft position, voltage, and load.

The components included in the package

• 1 x CM-530 (Main Controller-ARM Cortex(32bit);
• 8 x AX-12A (Robot Exclusive Actuator, Dynamixel);
• 10 x AX-18A (Robot Exclusive Actuator, Dynamixel);
• 1 x Gyro Sensor (2 Axis) ;
• 1 x DMS;
• 1 x RC-100A (Remote Controller);
• 1 x Rechargeable Battery (11V, Li-Po, 1000mA/PCM);
• 1 x Balance Battery Charger;
• 1 x Humanoid Aluminum frame full set;
• 1 x Gripper frame set;
• 1 x Wrench;
• 1 x Screw Driver;
• 1 x Wrench Bolt;
• 1 x Cable Holder;
• 1 x RobotPlus Software CD (WindowsXP/2000/Vista 32bit);
• 1 x Aluminum Trunk;

Why to purchase this kit and area of use

This robot kit is definitely designed with competition idea in mind and is based on a high performance and hardware optimizations for robotic competitions.

Poppy

The Poppy is a humanoid robot kit definitely designed outside the box. Its body can be printed using a simple 3D printer, while the software is available as an open-source platform. Even it has a printed body and uses free and open-source software, the price of this kit reach the value of $10,250. Why? Because most of the price is found in the Dynamixels parts.

The body of the Poppy is designed with a good proportion of human being in mind. The anthropomorphic body is flexible and reproduces in agility and stability the human body.

The hackable humanoid robot can be controlled with a Raspberry Pi computer able to manage a wide range of sensors, actuators, and at the same time display images on an LCD screen.

Poppy has bent legs, multi-articulated trunk and a soft body with agility and stability during the walking.
Optionally, the Poppy can be improved with force sensors, inertial measuring unit, blinking eyes, an LCD screen, and an embedded system such as Raspberry Pi.

Its body can be fully functional after 2 or 3 assembly days.

Why to purchase this kit and area of use

The idea behind the Poppy project is to provide a hackable platform for scientists, hobbyists, artists, or students.

If you plan to build a humanoid robot based on the Poppy project and using a simple 3D printer, all you have to do is to download the CAD files from the Poppy Project website.
You can buy the Poppy robot if you think that the accessories make all the difference in a successful project.

In this article, I explore a series of humanoid robotic kits for every level of robotics experience, and designed with the idea to have the best classroom tool for students, as well as the best competition robot.

If you have in plan to use one of these kits or if you already use one of these, please let us know your expectation as well as your experience by writing a comment!