SO-ARM101 open-source dual robotic arm kit works with Hugging Face's LeRobot

SO-ARM101 “Arm Servo Motor Kit” is an open-source dual robotic arm kit that works with Hugging Face’s LeRobot robotics framework and is designed to interface with NVIDIA Jetson AI modules and computers.

It is an update to the SO-ARM100 DIY open-source robotic arm kit introduced last year with LeRobot framework support. The new SO-ARM101 is still comprised of leader and follower arms but features improved wiring to prevent disconnection issues previously seen at joint 3, motors with optimized gear ratios, and a few functionality where the leader arm can now follow the follower arm in real-time, which will be used for reinforcement learning (RL) where a human can intervene and correct the robot’s actions.

SO-ARM101 specifications:

Degrees of Freedom (DOF) – 6 per Arm
Motor control
- Total servo – 12x STS3215 bus servos (6x for each Arm)
  - Leader Arm
    - 1x (7.4V) 1:345 gear ratio motor for No.2 joints
    - 2x (7.4V) 1:191 gear ratio motors for No.1 and No.3 joints
    - 3x (7.4V) 1:145 gear ratio motors for No.4 and No.5 joints, and the No.6 gripper
  - Follower Arm
    - Standard kit – 6x (7.4V) 1:345 gear ratio motor for all joints; torque: 16.5kg.cm at 6V
    - Pro kit – 6x (12V) 1:345 gear ratio motor for all joints; torque: 30kg.cm
- Angle Sensor – 12-bit magnetic encoder
USB – USB-C for programming and testing
Host Communication – UART
Control Method – PC-based control
Power Supply
- Standard kit – 2x 5V/4A power adapter
- Pro kit – 12V/1A for Follower arm, 5V/4A for Leader arm
Temperature Range – 0°C to 40°C

SO-ARM101 motor kit does not include 3D printed parts, which can be printed by the user or ordered separately

The hardware is designed by LeRobtoStudio, and you’ll find assembly instructions for both Arms, 3D files, a list of parts, and other resources on a GitHub repo shared by both SO-ARM100 and SO-ARM101 kits.

The kit integrates with the LeRobot platform with PyTorch models, datasets, and tools for reinforcement learning and imitation learning using Hugging Face. This kit and related software are designed to work on NVIDIA Jetson hardware such as the reComputer J4021 mini PC with Jetson Orin NX 16GB. The video below shows the leader and follower Arms in action using Hugging Face’s LeRobot (with the SO-ARM100 kit).

The SO-ARM101 dual robotic arm kit is sold for $220 (Standard) or $240 (Pro) on AliExpress or Seeed Studio. Readers should note that neither the Standard nor Pro kit includes the 3D printed parts, so they would have to print those themselves, or purchase them separately for about $35, since they are offered as options on both AliExpress and Seeed Studio.

dual robotic arm kit Jetson Orin NX computer — SO-ARM100 kit connected to reComputer J4012

Via Hackster.io

Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft)

Jean-Luc started CNX Software in 2010 as a part-time endeavor, before quitting his job as a software engineering manager, and starting to write daily news, and reviews full time later in 2011.