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Intermediate build

How to build LeKiwi

9-DoF mobile manipulator · Intermediate

LeKiwi is a low-cost holonomic base with three omni wheels and an SO-class arm for LeRobot mobile manipulation: STS3215 servos, a Raspberry Pi 5 and two cameras.

Start the buildProject files
Difficulty
Intermediate

Some soldering, calibration and Linux comfort needed.

Build time
2–4 weekends

Our estimate, part-time

Parts cost
$499

$499 total from the LeKiwi BOM

Degrees of freedom
9

Apache-2.0

What is LeKiwi?

LeKiwi, from SIGRobotics at UIUC, is a Hugging Face LeRobot-compatible mobile base. Three STS3215-driven omni wheels make it holonomic, and an SO-100/101 arm on top gives it manipulation.

A Raspberry Pi 5 runs it, with a base camera and a wrist camera for imitation learning.

The CAD, BOM and assembly guide are Apache-2.0.

LeKiwi specifications

DoF
9 (5 arm, 1 gripper, 3 wheels)
Servos
Feetech STS3215
Compute
Raspberry Pi 5 (4 GB)
Cameras
2 USB

Figures as published by the project. See Sources below.

Bill of materials

PartQtyNotes
STS3215 servos (arm + base)15Includes a leader arm
Raspberry Pi 5 (4 GB)1
USB camera2
4" omni wheel3
Waveshare bus servo board2
Where's the full bill of materials?

The full BOM, with exact quantities and vendors, lives in the project's own files. Prices change often, so treat $499 as a ballpark from the project. Start at the project repository.

Tools you'll need

  • FDM printer
  • Screwdrivers

Step-by-step build overview

Electronics & wiring overview

The base and arm servos share the bus boards, which connect to the Pi over USB.

Battery packpower sourceLaptop / PChigh-level controlcamerasensingRaspberry Pireal-time controllerServo bus adapterdrivers / busFeetech STS3215 bus s…9 joints / motors
PowerData / commandsSensor feedbackOverview only. Follow the project's own schematic for pinouts and voltages.

Software

LeRobotURDF model

Hugging Face LeRobot.

Tips from the bench

  • ☕ Calibrate the arm before mounting it, when you can still reach every joint.

LeKiwi FAQ

Does LeKiwi work with LeRobot?

Yes. It's an officially supported robot.

Sources

Written by Bots n' Beans from the project's own documentation. Check the sources for the latest revision before you buy parts.

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