Physical Ant
A physical ant platform combining COTS components and 3D-printed parts for hardware locomotion learning.
Project documentation
Before you build
Five answers, each linked to its source
What does it cost?
$2,230.61BOM total
The BOM lists a total of $2,230.61. README
Can I sell what I build?
YesCommercial use OK
Hardware MIT · Software MIT. Licensing source
What’s open?
4 of 6CAD: AvailableBOM: AvailablePCB: Off-the-shelf partCode: AvailableSim: Not documentedGuide: Available
Sim not documented · PCB off-the-shelf. All six files
Is it maintained?
Active
Latest activity Oct 29, 2026 · main repo last commit Sep 2, 2026 · 48 commits in the last 52 weeks · 7 contributors Activity
01 / Under the shell
The specifications.
Hardware, build and software on one sheet. Every fact links to where we found it.
The Physical Ant is a robot platform built from COTS components and 3D-printed parts. It connects by cable to AC power and an external computer; an overhead webcam tracks fiducial markers to provide reward signals for locomotion tasks.
Hardware
- Actuators
- Not documented Documentation
- Build
- Mixed · COTS parts and 3D-printed parts Documentation
- Hip range
- +/- 45deg README
- Knee range
- +/- 70deg README
Building it
02 / The files behind the robot
What’s open.
Six parts of the build, each checked separately. Gaps stay visible.
| Part | Status | What’s there | License | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CAD | Available | STL files are listed for hardware/rev3. | Not documented | rev3/ |
| Bill of materials | Available | Bill of Materials table. | Not documented | Readme.md |
| Electronics | Off-the-shelf part | The README states that all COTS parts are used. | — | README |
| Code | Available | Python setup and hardware run commands are documented. | Not documented | embodied_ant_env/ |
| Simulation model | Not documented | Not documented | Not documented | No source found |
| Assembly guide | Available | Assembly video. | Not documented | youtube.com |
03 / Know before you build
Can you sell it?
YesCommercial use OK
The whole repository, design files included, is MIT. You can build, modify and sell robots based on it, as long as you keep the license and copyright notices.
- Hardware
- MIT
- Software
- MIT
04 / The upstream project
Is it maintained?
ActiveLatest activity Oct 29, 2026, 1 day before the snapshot
The main repository’s last commit was Sep 2, 2026.
- Stars
- 76
- Forks
- 12
- Contributors
- 7
- Latest release
- v1.2 · Jun 6, 2026
Snapshot captured Oct 30, 2026. Recorded figures, not live metrics. Active: activity within 90 days of the snapshot. Quiet: within a year. Dormant: longer.
05 / Parts & kits
A head start.
Maker-listed sellers only. No affiliate links or paid placement.
Kit availability is not documented in our reviewed sources.
06 / Side by side
Compare with other quadrupeds.
Closest documented maker’s cost first, then the most recently active quadrupeds. Same sources, same rules.
| Robot | Cost | Open files | Can I sell it? | Runs on | Maintained | Stars |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Physical AntThis robotOpenmind-Research-Institute | $2,230.61BOM total | 4 of 6 | YesHW MIT · SW MIT | PythonMuJoCo | ActiveOct 29, 2026 | 76 |
| YertleJerome-Graves | About £250robot | 5 of 6 | YesHW MIT · SW MIT | ROS 2PyBulletIsaac | ActiveSep 16, 2026 | 168 |
| Spot Micro - LeikaRune Harlyk | Not documented | 4 of 6 | YesHW MIT · SW MIT License | ESP32MuJoCo | ActiveOct 29, 2026 | 92 |
| SesameDorian Todd | Not documented | 6 of 6 | YesHW Apache-2.0 · SW Apache-2.0 | ESP32ArduinoPython | ActiveOct 15, 2026 | 4,876 |
| This robotPhysical Ant | Yertle | Spot Micro - Leika |
|---|---|---|
| Cost | ||
| $2,230.61 | About £250 | Not documented |
| Can I sell it? | ||
| Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Open files | ||
| 4 of 6 | 5 of 6 | 4 of 6 |
| Runs on | ||
| Python, MuJoCo | ROS 2, PyBullet, Isaac, Python, Arduino | ESP32, MuJoCo |
| Maintained | ||
| ActiveOct 29, 2026 | ActiveSep 16, 2026 | ActiveOct 29, 2026 |
Upkeep is measured against each robot’s own snapshot. Costs keep the maker’s scope, so check what each figure covers.
See them in the table07 / Follow the evidence
Open books.
Repository files are pinned to commit a3c5a38. Websites and papers are listed with their review dates.
- 01Readme.md at a3c5a38Reviewed Oct 30, 2026
- 02LICENSE at a3c5a38Reviewed Oct 30, 2026