About
A record kept by one person who builds things. No ads, no sponsored entries, nothing for sale.
What this is
It records what you need to actually build a robot, in four piles: blueprints, software, hardware, claim checks. Each pile holds different things, but the rule is the same everywhere — facts first, judgement second, and then an explicit note of what we verified and what we did not (the rules are in how to read an entry).
It is not a review outlet, not a buying guide, not an explainer. It is a ledger: someone checked which files a kit actually ships, what a library costs you in setup time, under what conditions a spec sheet was measured — here is the answer, written down so the next person does not burn a weekend finding out the same way.
What the four columns hold
| Column | The question it answers |
|---|---|
| Blueprints | Can I actually build this — editable source or read-only export, what the BOM costs delivered, how long printing and machining take, and where the hard step is |
| Software | Which library, and what using it takes — the layer it sits at, what it replaces, what you must invest to start, and the known pitfalls. Open and closed source are covered side by side |
| Hardware | What to buy, and how not to be fooled by the number — the conditions behind the spec sheet, price tiers, how to choose, common traps |
| Claim checks | Is this statement true — what is being claimed, what builders actually see, where the gap comes from, and when the claim does hold |
Everything written about one object — a robot, a part, a library — is gathered on its object page. Columns are a way to look, not a taxonomy, so URLs are organised by object, not by column.
Who runs it
One person, interested in robotics and embodied AI, who builds things. No editorial team, no institutional backing, no vendor relationships. That has two consequences: entries will not appear quickly, and nothing here has to be kind to anyone.
Why we take no sponsorship
Because the only thing this site has that is worth anything is its position. The moment money comes in, every sentence becomes something you have to re-read asking 'was this written for money?' — and the site would be worth nothing.
Concretely: no ad slots, no paid reviews, no affiliate links, no commission. If a revenue route ever appears, it cannot touch the content of any entry.
Why bilingual
Because the Chinese-speaking and English-speaking builder communities often see a different picture of the same project. For one kit, the English side may praise the documentation while the Chinese side is stuck on a dependency that will not install; for one bill of materials, two supply chains can land the delivered total a long way apart. Each side stays in its own circle. Very few people read both.
So the two languages here are not a translation pair: the facts are identical on both sides, the judgement is written separately. Where one side has no counterpart, we do not link across — you will not be sent to an empty page.
When we get it wrong
All of this site's value sits on accuracy; one bad entry costs a good one. Email [email protected] with which entry, what is wrong, and what you are basing it on.
What happens next: the entry gets edited, with a revision date at the bottom. No quiet edits, no deleted comments, no invisible change log. If you can supply first-hand evidence — your own measurements, a screenshot of the original document — it goes into the entry as a source, credited to you.
Nothing here is buying advice, and nothing here endorses a product. Every entry reflects one or more observations under specific conditions, and the conditions are written down — yours may differ, which is exactly why the 'when it closes' field exists.
This site has no affiliation with any vendor and represents no institution. There are no purchase links anywhere on it; source your own parts.
If you want to add to the record
If you have installed, taken apart or got something running, and you are willing to describe it properly, that is worth more here than any second-hand account. Send it to the address above, written in the fields for the matching column from how to read an entry. Leave blank whatever you do not have:
- Blueprints — which files ship (editable vs. read-only), BOM and delivered cost, how long printing and machining took, where the hard step is.
- Software — the problem it solves, which alternatives you compared, what starting costs you (hardware, accounts, compute), what tripped you up.
- Hardware — the conditions the spec was measured under, how the price tiers differ, how to choose, what traps you hit.
Sources help: the original document, an issue link, your own photos or logs. Anything we have not verified gets stated as such in 'what we checked' — being your submission does not buy it a pass.
Last updated 2026-09-28