Shenzhen Xiao R Geek Technology (XiaoR GEEK) SamuRoid is a 22-DOF bionic humanoid robot built around a Raspberry Pi 4 Model B. Designed for researchers, educators, and robotics developers, the robot combines a traditional Robot Operating System (ROS) environment with modern embodied AI capabilities.
The concept of SBC-powered humanoid robots is not new, and we have previously seen similar robots, such as the Tonybot and PiMecha, which focused on basic servo control, OpenCV vision, and beginner-friendly programming. Compared to those, SamuRoid is priced significantly higher but offers a more advanced setup with tighter hardware-software integration and support for multimodal interaction that combines vision, voice, and large language models. We have also seen a simpler, but larger bipedal robot like the Mini π.
SamuRoid specifications
- SBC – Raspberry Pi 4 Model B (4GB or 8GB RAM options)
- Actuators – 22x XRS-series bus servos delivering ≥ 30 kgf · cm of torque at 12V
- 2x for head
- 2x for shoulders
- 4x for arms
- 2x for hands
- 10x for legs
- 2x for feet
- Display – 0.96-inch OLED screen for IP address, battery level, current status, and mode
- Camera – 1080p wide-angle camera on a 2-DOF gimbal (170° Field of View (FOV) with 180° Pan and 130° Tilt)
- Audio – Built-in USB Microphone for voice commands
- Connectivity – Dual-band 802.11 b/g/n/ac WiFi 5 and Bluetooth 5.0 (via Raspberry Pi 4)
- Sensors – MPU6050 6-axis IMU for self-balancing,
- Expansion – PWR.ROSBOT.X expansion board that breaks out all 40 Raspberry Pi GPIO pins, supporting over 40 additional modular sensors
- Misc
- 3x buttons (Mode switch, function, self-check, or custom)
- Support for PS2 Controller input
- Power – 12V/3,000mAh Lithium Battery yielding approximately 1 hour of runtime
- Dimensions – 389.81 x 190.98 x 141.6 mm
- Weight – 2.3 kg
The SamuRoid features an aluminum alloy chassis and XRS-series high-voltage serial bus servos (specifically the XR-S270 and XR-S15HV models), which have metal gears, aluminum casings for heat dissipation, and built-in protection against temperature, voltage, and stalling.
The robot also features a dual-hip-joint “yaw” design that allows leg rotation along the Z-axis, improving turning ability and agility, and making its walking motion more natural. It also includes mechanical grippers on both hands with open/close functionality and built-in overload protection, enabling safe and effective pick-and-place tasks.
To keep the Raspberry Pi stable under heavy computational loads, the humanoid robot includes a “Hurricane” cooling design. Additionally, a built-in MPU6050 6-axis IMU continuously monitors posture in real time. Combined with an inverted pendulum algorithm, this allows the robot to tune its gait in real-time and automatically recover if it falls over. It also features automatic self-diagnostics at startup, checking components like servos, camera, controller, and IMU. If an issue is found, the robot alerts the user with voice prompts and visual indicators.
The robot runs on Ubuntu 18.04 with the ROS Melodic framework; both are now end-of-life but still widely used for stable robotics education. It supports programming in Python and C++, along with RoboManager PC software or mobile app, which enables easy drag-and-drop motion programming without coding, including real-time joint feedback on angle, voltage, and temperature. The samurai-like robot comes preloaded with over 70 built-in actions, such as martial arts, dancing, and greetings, and is backed by 10 structured learning modules, covering everything from a quick-start guide to OpenCV vision courses and large language model (LLM) experiments. More information about the software and download links can be found on GitHub.
The robot uses a 1080p wide-angle camera on a 2-DOF pan-tilt gimbal for vision, powered by OpenCV. It can handle tasks like line following, object sorting, face recognition, color tracking, and target detection. With cloud-based LLM (DeepSeek, Doubao, and Tongyi Qianwen) integration, it combines voice, vision, and reasoning for real-time interaction. Using its microphone and speaker, it can understand commands, analyze scenes, recognize objects, and respond through natural voice conversations while performing actions.
The SamuRoid “Professional Edition” is currently available and sold for $1,565.92 on AliExpress, where the Developer Edition ($1,794.54) and the Flagship Edition ($2,019.10) are also listed with accessories like a keyboard, gamepad, and 7-inch display, but both are currently out of stock. Alternatively, the robot is available from the XiaoR GEEK store for $1,072.55 (base package only), which includes the fully assembled robot, charger, controller, SD card reader, and accessories.
Debashis Das is a technical content writer and embedded engineer with over five years of experience in the industry. With expertise in Embedded C, PCB Design, and SEO optimization, he effectively blends difficult technical topics with clear communication
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