MABEL: an open-source 56-DOF bimanual mobile robot from NYU and the University of Toronto
MABEL: an open-source 56-DOF bimanual mobile robot from NYU and the University of Toronto
The MABEL team at NYU and the University of Toronto has released an open-source 56-degree-of-freedom bimanual mobile robot. The system features a three-wheel swerve base, vertical lift, pitching torso, stereo camera head, two 7-DOF arms derived from OpenArm, and two 17-DOF tendon-driven hands derived from ORCA Hand. It is teleoperated via Apple Vision Pro and released under CERN-OHL-S-2.0 for hardware and Apache-2.0 for software. Estimated build costs range from approximately $8,056 to $14,721 depending on the configuration, with some components still uncosted. The project includes GitHub repositories for hardware, firmware, control, ROS 2 integration, simulation, and learning resources.
Source: ROS Discourse — Community updates · Read original article ↗
Article text · Original source · English
Photo: the MABEL authors, CC BY 4.0
Sharing an open-source robot I think many here will like: MABEL, by the MABEL team at NYU and the University of Toronto.
What it is:
- 56 degrees of freedom: a three-wheel swerve base, a vertical lift, a pitching torso and a 3-DOF head with stereo cameras
- Two 7-DOF arms (derived from OpenArm) and two 17-DOF hands (derived from ORCA Hand)
- Teleoperated with a single Apple Vision Pro
All of it is open:
- Hardware: CERN-OHL-S-2.0
- Software: Apache-2.0
- Docs and photos: CC BY 4.0
Cost: the creators’ own parts list puts the Essential build at about $8,056 in parts (July 2026 prices), with the Recommended and Maximum builds at about $9,283 and $14,721. A few items aren’t costed yet: the hands’ frames and tendons, two Teensy 4.1 boards and the custom PCBs.
Source, by the MABEL authors: GitHub - robotmabel/open_mabel: MABEL: open-source mobile bimanual robot — hardware, firmware, control, ROS 2, simulation, learning · GitHub
Disclosure: I run Robotheca, a catalogue of buildable open-source robots. I’ve put MABEL’s parts list, licences, a 3D view and a browser simulation on one page: MABEL: home robot, CAD/STL files · Robotheca. All credit goes to the MABEL authors.
A question for anyone who has built OpenArm or ORCA Hand: how have the arms and the tendon-driven hands held up in regular use?
What the source reports
Publisher-reported claims, with original evidence. These results have not been independently verified by RoboSignal.
- Control
- TeleoperatedOpen source S2
Reported numbers
degrees of freedom
56
View original evidence
MABEL: an open-source 56-DOF bimanual mobile robot from NYU and the University of Toronto
Open source S1cost
8,056
View original evidence
le Apple Vision Pro All of it is open: Hardware: CERN-OHL-S-2.0 Software: Apache-2.0 Docs and photos: CC BY 4.0 Cost: the creators’ own parts list puts the Essential build at about $8,056 in parts (July 2026 prices), with the Recommended and Maximum builds at about $9,283 and $14,721. A few items aren’t costed yet: the hands’ frames and tendons, two Teensy 4.1 boards and the custom PCBs. Source, by the MABEL authors:
Open source S3cost
9,283
View original evidence
le Apple Vision Pro All of it is open: Hardware: CERN-OHL-S-2.0 Software: Apache-2.0 Docs and photos: CC BY 4.0 Cost: the creators’ own parts list puts the Essential build at about $8,056 in parts (July 2026 prices), with the Recommended and Maximum builds at about $9,283 and $14,721. A few items aren’t costed yet: the hands’ frames and tendons, two Teensy 4.1 boards and the custom PCBs. Source, by the MABEL authors:
Open source S3cost
14,721
View original evidence
le Apple Vision Pro All of it is open: Hardware: CERN-OHL-S-2.0 Software: Apache-2.0 Docs and photos: CC BY 4.0 Cost: the creators’ own parts list puts the Essential build at about $8,056 in parts (July 2026 prices), with the Recommended and Maximum builds at about $9,283 and $14,721. A few items aren’t costed yet: the hands’ frames and tendons, two Teensy 4.1 boards and the custom PCBs. Source, by the MABEL authors:
Open source S3
Dataset details reported by the source
- License
- Apache-2.0 Open source S3
- paper: not_reported
- weights: not_reported
- dataset: not_reported
- code: not_reported
What remains unknown
Source excerpts and review record
Automatically extracted; no manual editorial approval recorded.
Photo: the MABEL authors, CC BY 4.0 image 705×516 53.6 KB Sharing an open-source robot I think many here will like: MABEL, by the MABEL team at NYU and the University of Toronto. What it is: 56 degrees of freedom: a three-wheel swerve base, a vertical lift, a pitching torso and a 3-DOF head with stereo cameras Two 7-DOF arms (derived from OpenArm) and two 17-DOF hands (derived from ORCA Hand) Teleoperated with a sing
Open source S2
le Apple Vision Pro All of it is open: Hardware: CERN-OHL-S-2.0 Software: Apache-2.0 Docs and photos: CC BY 4.0 Cost: the creators’ own parts list puts the Essential build at about $8,056 in parts (July 2026 prices), with the Recommended and Maximum builds at about $9,283 and $14,721. A few items aren’t costed yet: the hands’ frames and tendons, two Teensy 4.1 boards and the custom PCBs. Source, by the MABEL authors:
Open source S3
MABEL: an open-source 56-DOF bimanual mobile robot from NYU and the University of Toronto
Open source S1
GitHub - robotmabel/open_mabel: MABEL: open-source mobile bimanual robot — hardware, firmware, control, ROS 2, simulation, learning · GitHub Disclosure: I run Robotheca, a catalogue of buildable open-source robots. I’ve put MABEL’s parts list, licences, a 3D view and a browser simulation on one page: MABEL: home robot, CAD/STL files · Robotheca . All credit goes to the MABEL authors. A question for anyone who has bu
Open source S4
Implications for data suppliers
RoboSignal interpretation and collection questions, not statements of buyer demand.
- Confirm the required data type and collection setting with the buyer; this source does not establish a complete collection specification.
- Compare the reported units and scope before using these quantities in a budget. Recording hours, sensor-hours and trajectories are different measures.
- Check the exact dataset version, license, modalities and task coverage against the intended use.
- Validate demand and acceptance criteria with a buyer before scaling. Publication, popularity and a research result do not establish a purchase commitment.
Source：ROS Discourse — Community updates · discourse.openrobotics.org