AI Sapiens K1 is a compact biped research humanoid from ROBOTIS, the Korean maker of DYNAMIXEL servos and TurtleBot3. It is 135.5 cm tall, weighs 35 kg and is driven by new DYNAMIXEL-Q actuators. ROBOTIS has open-sourced its software and plans to follow with mechanical drawings and circuit diagrams.
History and launch
ROBOTIS began presenting the AI Sapiens platform in 2026. In late June it launched an official project site covering hardware design, software architecture and reinforcement learning for motion, with some sections marked as coming later.
On August 3, 2026 the company released the AI Sapiens source code, including drive code, learning tools, a Sim2Real tool and a reinforcement learning workflow, under a license with few commercial restrictions. ROBOTIS points to its 2016 open-source release of TurtleBot3 as a precedent.
Design and hardware
The documentation lists K1 at 1355 mm, 35 kg and 23 degrees of freedom: 6 per leg, 5 per arm and 1 in the waist. It uses 23 DYNAMIXEL-Q quasi-direct-drive actuators: 12 smaller QC060 units (up to 30 Nm) and 11 larger QC080 units (up to 72.6 Nm), both with 20:1 reduction and low-inertia PMSM motors on 48 V.
ROBOTIS notes that specs may change before launch. The bill of materials, STEP files and 3D-printable head and body covers are due to be released later as open files so users can modify the exterior.
Software and AI
The robot supports ROS 2 and a Python SDK and is brought up with cycloctl from ROBOTIS's CYCLO platform, with impedance control on the actuators. The docs cover locomotion and motion-imitation training in MuJoCo and Cyclo Lab, human motion retargeting, imitation learning with LeRobot and transferring policies trained in NVIDIA simulation to the real robot.
Applications and deployments
K1 is aimed at universities, labs and developers working on physical AI. ROBOTIS runs a pilot program for university students that collects motion and control data on AI Sapiens and applies it to real robots, and plans to open it to researchers and developers.
Manufacturer
ROBOTIS is a KOSDAQ-listed Korean company (ticker 108490) led by CEO Kim Byung-soo. Besides DYNAMIXEL servos it makes the AI Worker semi-humanoid, OMX and OMY manipulators and GAEMI delivery robots.
Price and availability
No official price or hardware release date has been announced. The software is already free to download from the ROBOTIS developer site and GitHub.
Timeline
- 2016 ROBOTIS open-sources TurtleBot3
- 2026-06 AI Sapiens project site with K1 documentation goes live
- 2026-08 AI Sapiens source code released under an open license
Sources
- AI Sapiens: Hardware, ROBOTIS Docs (2026)
- AI Sapiens: Open-Source Humanoid Platform for Physical AI, ROBOTIS (2026)
- ROBOTIS releases open humanoid robot source code, Edaily (2026-08-03)
- Open-source humanoid robot project 'AI Sapiens', Open Robotics Discourse (2026-06-26)
Updated: 2026-10-10
Verification and limitations
This entry requires an up-to-date manufacturer specification check.
MERA field measurement report: not published. Demonstration footage and manufacturer specifications are not a MERA test under event conditions.
Data and provenance for AI agents ↗Compared with the catalogue
- At 136 cm the ROBOTIS AI Sapiens K1 is taller than 9% of the humanoids in the catalogue (median: 170 cm).
- It has 23 degrees of freedom against a catalogue median of 28; more degrees of freedom usually means finer arm and hand movement.
- Its weight of 35 kg (catalogue median: 65 kg) matters for transport and for working around people.
- It is one of 2 ROBOTIS models in the catalogue and one of 9 humanoids from South Korea.
Capabilities
Frequently asked questions
How tall and heavy is the ROBOTIS AI Sapiens K1?
1355 mm and 35 kg, according to ROBOTIS documentation.
How many degrees of freedom does K1 have?
23: six per leg, five per arm and one in the waist.
Is AI Sapiens open source?
The software is, since August 2026. Mechanical drawings, schematics and the bill of materials are to follow.
What actuators does AI Sapiens K1 use?
DYNAMIXEL-Q quasi-direct-drive actuators: 12 QC060 and 11 QC080.
How much does AI Sapiens K1 cost?
ROBOTIS has not announced a price.
How much does the ROBOTIS AI Sapiens K1 cost?
The manufacturer has not published a price for the ROBOTIS AI Sapiens K1. You can send a purchase enquiry through MERA Robotics.
Is the ROBOTIS AI Sapiens K1 available to buy?
Status: In development: the manufacturer has shown the robot but is not selling it openly yet.
How tall and heavy is the ROBOTIS AI Sapiens K1?
Height: 136 cm, weight: 35 kg, degrees of freedom: 23.
How do I buy the ROBOTIS AI Sapiens K1 through MERA Robotics?
Click “I want to buy” or fill in the form on this page. MERA Robotics will reply whether and on what terms the model is available and can help deploy it with the MERA OS conversation system.
Data: ROBOTIS. Specs from the manufacturer; they may change, always confirm with the manufacturer before buying.
