OpenCV 5 open-source computer vision library has recently been released with a brand-new DNN (Deep Neural Network) engine that provides better ONNX coverage and enables LLM/VLM support. The fifth version of the popular CV library also adds support for Intel, Arm, Qualcomm, and RISC-V hardware acceleration, improved 3D vision, and various new core features such as new data types, real N-dimensional and scalar support, and performance improvements. OpenCV 5’s DNN Engine OpenCV 4.x supports about 22% of ONNX operators, and the new DNN engine in OpenCV 5 brings coverage to over 80%. That means models with dynamic shapes that used to fail on OpenCV 4.x, should now work, as the 5.x engine was rebuilt around a typed operation graph with proper shape inference, constant folding, and operator fusion. The table below shows the main difference between OpenCV 4.x and OpenCV 5 Since it’s quite a big change, to make sure […]
Sharpa Wave is a high-end dexterous robotic hand with 22 DoF, high-sensitivity dynamic tactile array
NVIDIA just announced the Isaac GR00T Reference Humanoid Robot in a half-baked press release for Computex 2026, with an “available-soon reference workflow” and availability sometime by the end of the year with the Unitree H2 humanoid chassis. One component of the kit that appears to be available now, albeit in limited quantity, is the Sharpa Wave high-end dexterous robotic hand with 22 degrees of freedom (DoF) and a dynamic tactile array (DTA) on each finger, enabling it to feel objects as lightweight as a butterfly. Sharpa Wave robotic hand highlights: 1:1 scale human form – The palm width to hand length ratio is approximately 0.618, enabling the Wave to manipulate the same tools as humans. 22 active Degrees of Freedom – Isomorphic design mirroring the human hand Dynamic Tactile Array (DTA) powered by a proprietary neural network-based algorithm and sensing modules to enable detection of tight objects (like a butterfly) […]
Gesture HW1 is a 10-DOF ESP32-S3 robotic hand with high-dexterity manipulation (Crowdfunding)
The HW1 by Gesture Platforms is a 10-degree-of-freedom (DOF) high-dexterity robotic hand and wrist built around an ESP32-S3 wireless MCU. It’s primarily designed for researchers, educators, and hobbyists; it bridges the gap between basic DIY robotic hands and expensive industrial models. The device weighs just around 500 grams but can handle a 1kg dynamic load and a 3kg static load. It communicates via USB-C or Bluetooth 5.0 and comes with a companion desktop app as well as Python and C++ SDKs for custom development. Gesture HW1 specifications: Microcontroller – Espressif Systems ESP32-S3 dual-core LX7 microprocessor with WiFi 4 and Bluetooth 5.0 LE connectivity Degrees of Freedom (active) – 10 DOF Finger Flexion – 0° – 90° (at each joint) Finger Adduction/Abduction – -10° – 40° Thumb Flexion/Extension – 0° – 120° Thumb Adduction/Abduction – 20° – 90° Thumb Distal Flexion – 0° – 90° Wrist Flexion/Extension – -50° – 50° Wrist […]
Modos Flow – An FPGA-based 13.3-inch USB-C touchscreen e-paper monitor (Crowdfunding)
Modos Flow is a paper-like, 13.3-inch USB Type-C touchscreen monochrome or color monitor that builds upon the Modos Paper devkit introduced last year with an AMD/Xilinx Spartan-6 LX16 FPGA and STMicro STM32H750 Arm Cortex-M7 microcontroller. The main difference is that the Modos Flow is more like a consumer product with a full enclosure, a touchscreen, and optional stylus support, 4096-color e-paper display, and frontlight. Modos Flow specifications: FPGA – AMD Xilinx Spartan-6 LX16 FPGA running Caster gateware like the earlier devkit MCU – STMicro STM32H750 Arm Cortex-M7 microcontroller for USB communication, firmware upgrades, and standalone applications. Display 13.3-inch e-paper display with 3200 x 2400 resolution Refresh rate – 60 Hz with additional power, 40 Hz via a single USB-C cable Monochrome or 4096 colors/16 levels of grayscale Touchscreen support Optimized display modes for reading, browsing, watching, and writing Amber-tinted frontlight (color model only) Video Input – USB Type-C DisplayPort Alt-Mode with […]
SamuRoid – A Raspberry Pi-powered 22-DOF humanoid robot with Multimodal LLMs and ROS support
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 […]
UGV Beast – An off-road tracked AI robot built for Raspberry Pi 4/5
Waveshare UGV Beast is an off-road robot with tracked wheels designed for Raspberry Pi 4 or 5 SBC handling AI vision and strategy planning, while an ESP32 sub-controller takes care of motion control and sensor data processing. If the design feels familiar, it’s because it’s a variant of the UGV Rover unmanned ground vehicle we covered in 2024, which replaces the six wheels of the original model with two continuous tracks, as found in military tanks, for better driving in difficult terrain. Waveshare UGV Beast specifications: Supported SBCs – Raspberry Pi 4B or Raspberry Pi 5 Multi-function driver board/sub-controller Main SoC – ESP32 wireless microcontroller with WiFi, Bluetooth, ESPNOW connectivity Motor drivers – 2x TB6612FNG chips Peripheral interfaces 4x motor control connectors 2x servo connectors Lidar USB (4-pin) and UART (USB-C) connectors 2x 4-pin I2C connectors Sensor – 9-axis attitude sensor (ICM20948) for image stabilization Misc – EN and user […]
reBot Arm B601-DM – An open-source 6+1 DoF robotic arm for embodied AI and teleoperation applications
Seeed Studio reBot Arm B601-DM is a fully open-source 6-axis robotic arm (plus a parallel gripper) designed to lower the barrier to entry for embodied AI learning and teleoperation. Built around high-performance Damiao actuators, the arm offers up to 767mm of reach, a 1.5kg payload capacity, and high-precision 0.2mm repeatability. Designed for researchers and robotics developers, the B601-DM is compatible out of the box with major AI and robotics frameworks, including ROS 1/2, Hugging Face’s LeRobot, NVIDIA Isaac Sim, and Pinocchio. Seeed Studio reBot Arm B601-DM specifications: Communication – CAN bus @ 1Mbps) and UART @ 921600bps Degrees of Freedom (DOF) – 6-axis arm + 1 parallel gripper Motors / Actuators – 7x Damiao motors 4x DAMIAO 4310 (DM-J4310-2EC) 3x DAMIAO 4340P (DM-J4340P-2EC) high-torque motors Payload – 1.5kg (without gripper, at recommended 70% reach) Reach – 767mm (with gripper), 607mm (without gripper) Repeatability – < 0.2 mm Joint torque and […]
Bee Write Back – A Raspberry Pi Zero 2 W-based DIY writerdeck with 5.5-inch OLED and mechanical keyboard
Based on Raspberry Pi Zero 2 W, the Bee Write Back writerdeck is another DIY project that should be relatively easy to reproduce, since it relies on off-the-shelf parts, including an OLED and mechanical key switches and caps, as well as a 3D printed enclosure. Simon (shmimel) had trouble falling asleep and found out that journaling helped him a lot, but he was not so fond of writing in a physical journal. So instead, he created the Bee Write Back journal/writerdeck as a distraction-free writing machine, and the result looks pretty neat. Bee Write Back key components: Raspberry Pi Zero 2 W SBC with Broadcom BCM2711 quad-core Cortex-A53 SoC, 512 MB RAM, WiFi 4 and Bluetooth 4.2 Display – 5.5-inch AMOLED screen with 1280 x 720 resolution($52 on AliExpress) Keyboard accessories 47x switches 47x keycaps YMDK Air40 keyboard PCB (about $30 on AliExpress) Power – Seengreat Pi Zero UPS USB HUB […]








