ALOHA parts list
Discontinued: Trossen has discontinued the ViperX 300 S and WidowX 250 S arms this build uses (now replaced by the WidowX AI). New sets may be hard to find; check stock before buying any other part.
Two leader and two follower Trossen arms in an extrusion cage for low cost bimanual teleoperation and imitation learning data.
Bimanual setupsadvanced by Tony Zhao, Vikash Kumar, Sergey Levine, Chelsea Finn (Stanford, UC Berkeley, Meta)
Total parts cost: $21,000 to $24,000 (cheapest listed sellers add up to about $21,095)
Arms dominate (about $20,070 at the last listed S prices; the BOM list total was $19,529). Excludes the Linux PC with 6 USB3 ports and GPU, FDM printer (about $300), filament, hot glue gun, files, WD-40, shipping and tax.
Exploded view
Tap any part to see where to buy it. Diagram is schematic, not to scale.
Every part you need
| Part | Qty | Spec | Where to buy |
|---|---|---|---|
| Trossen ViperX 300 6DOF robot arm follower arm | 2 | Interbotix X-series arm, 9 Dynamixels: 7x XM540-W270-T plus 2x XM430-W350-T. BOM link is the old non S ViperX 300 6DOF; Trossen now lists only the ViperX 300 S and marks it discontinued. Official BOM lists $5,695.95/unit. Puppet arms that do the task. | Trossen Robotics: $6,129.95 (unverified) Trossen Robotics: check price (unverified) |
| Trossen WidowX 250 6DOF robot arm leader arm | 2 | Interbotix X-series arm, 9 Dynamixels: 7x XM430-W350-T plus 2x XL430-W250-T. BOM link is the old non S version; Trossen now lists the WidowX 250 S and marks it discontinued. Official BOM lists $3,295.95/unit. Master arms the operator moves by hand. | Trossen Robotics: $3,904.95 (unverified) Trossen Robotics: check price (unverified) |
| 600W AC to 12V DC power supply (Anbull) power | 1 | One supply powers all 4 arms; the doc says the stock ViperX supply can be unstable. Cut the female end off the DC cables and fit fork spade connectors. Stable 12V for all four arms. | Amazon: check price |
| 12V DC extension cable, 10 ft, 14AWG, 5.5x2.1mm power | 4 | One per arm, female end cut off and crimped to fork spades for the power supply terminals. Connects each arm to the shared supply. | Amazon: check price |
| USB A to Micro B cable, 10 ft (Monoprice) cable | 4 | Doc says the cable shipped with the arms can be too short and that the stock cable plus a USB extension does not work. Choose the 10 ft length on the listing. Direct arm to PC link without an extension. | Amazon: check price |
| Standing desk 48x30 inch, black (FLEXISPOT EN1) frame | 1 | Select the 48x30 inch black option on the listing. Official BOM lists $199.99. Work surface the cage bolts to. | Amazon: check price |
| 2020 aluminum extrusion, black, 1220 mm (48 in), 10 pcs frame | 1 | Yellow bars in the frame CAD. Same listing as the other lengths: select the 1220 mm 10 pc black option. Official BOM lists $99.99. Cage uprights and top bars. | Amazon: check price |
| 2020 aluminum extrusion, black, 1000 mm (39.4 in), 10 pcs frame | 1 | Green bars in the frame CAD. Same listing: select the 1000 mm 10 pc black option. Official BOM lists $83.99. Cage horizontal bars. | Amazon: check price |
| 2020 aluminum extrusion, black, 150 mm (5.9 in), 4 pcs frame | 2 | Blue bars in the frame CAD, used for the ViperX base and front camera. Same listing: select the 150 mm 4 pc black option. Official BOM lists $11.99. Short mounting bars. | Amazon: check price |
| 2020 corner bracket set, 20 sets with M5x8 screws and T-nuts frame | 3 | Type 1 brackets in the doc. Official BOM lists $28.99. Joins extrusions. | Amazon: check price |
| Black L-4 corner bracket plate with screws and T-nuts frame | 4 | Type 2 L brackets; they include the drop in T-nuts used to mount the arms. Official BOM lists $15.99. Ties the frame to the desk and carries drop in T-nuts. | Amazon: check price |
| Rope crimping tool, 15 inch, for 3/64 to 1/8 inch cable frame | 1 | Official BOM lists $35.97. Crimps the cross bracing cable. | Amazon: check price |
| Wire tensioner kit: 60 m 1/16 inch cable plus M5 turnbuckles frame | 1 | Official BOM lists $59.99. Cross cables that stiffen the cage so cameras shake less. | Amazon: check price |
| Logitech C922x Pro Stream webcam camera | 4 | 2 wrist cams, 1 top cam, 1 front cam. Doc changelog fixed an earlier typo of 6 cameras to 4. Official BOM lists $98.35/unit. The C922 Pro sold by Logitech is the same camera without the x bundle. Four RGB views for imitation learning. | Amazon: check price Logitech: $119.99 |
| Camera clamp with 1/4 inch screw and ball head camera | 1 | Doc changelog fixed an earlier typo of 4 mounts to 1. Official BOM lists $21.99. Holds the top camera on the horizontal bar. | Amazon: check price |
| USB 3.0 hub, 7 port (VEMONT) hub | 2 | For cameras only, max 2 cameras per hub. Official BOM lists $19.99. Camera connections. | Amazon: check price |
| Carbon fiber tube 10x12x500 mm gravity comp | 1 | Official BOM lists $16.98. Hangs rubber bands over the leader arms. | Amazon: check price |
| Large rubber bands gravity comp | 1 | Official BOM lists $9.99. Offsets leader arm weight so teleop is less tiring. | Amazon: check price |
| Reusable hook and loop cable ties gravity comp | 1 | Also trimmed into the finger loop on the leader gripper. Official BOM lists $6.99. Finger loop and band attachment. | Amazon: check price |
| Electronics precision screwdriver set tool | 1 | Official BOM lists $14.99. Assembly. | Amazon: check price |
| Adhesive foam pad 4x4 in, 1/8 in thick, 10 pcs hardware | 4 | Official BOM lists $9.99. Padding listed in the BOM tools section. | Amazon: check price |
| M3 screw assortment fastener | 1 | BOM lists one M3 kit; M3x30 screws and nuts mount the gripper rail, M3x4 holds the wrist cam. Official BOM lists $17.96. Gripper rail and camera mounts. | Amazon: check price |
| M2.5 screw assortment fastener | 1 | M2.5x10 bolts and nuts for handles, M2.5x8 for camera mounts. Official BOM lists $13.59. Leader handles and camera mounts. | Amazon: check price |
| M5 roll in spring T-nuts for 2020, 50 pcs fastener | 1 | Official BOM lists $12.99. Frame and arm mounting. | Amazon: check price |
| M5 button head bolt and nut assortment fastener | 1 | M5x14 bolts mount the arms. Official BOM lists $14.99. Arm and bracket bolts. | Amazon: check price |
| Grip tape, 1 inch wide gripper | 1 | Wrap gripper tips, optionally whole fingers. Official BOM lists $46.91. Lets the gripper hold thin, slippery items. | Amazon: check price |
Quantities follow the official ALOHA docs: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1sgRZmpS7HMcZTPfGy3kAxDrqFMtNNzmK-yVtX5cKYME/edit. "Unverified" prices come from search listings or older BOMs that we could not confirm on the seller's product page.
Kits (fewer orders, check what they leave out)
| Kit | Price | Includes | Leaves out | Buy |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ALOHA Stationary kit (legacy, Trossen now sells the Trossen AI line instead) Trossen Robotics | check price | Complete original ALOHA hardware as sold by Trossen. | Check with Trossen; listed under legacy products. | Trossen Robotics: check price |
| Stationary AI (successor kit with 4 WidowX AI arms) Trossen Robotics | $23,995.95 | 2 leader and follower WidowX AI arm pairs, frame and cameras per Trossen; not the same arms as the original BOM. | Price shown on the page at check; confirm compute options with Trossen. | Trossen Robotics: $23,995.95 |
3D printed parts
Needed. 25 PLA pieces on any FDM printer: handle_lower x2, handle_upper x2, lever1 x2, lever2 x2, slider x4, rotor x2, rotor_arm x4, finger1 x2, finger2 x2, cam_mount x2, cam_mount_2 x1. Expect to file holes so sliders run freely. Files: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1ogS3XbKPnPPMvyDEYTAOR_TVsl1SenbA
Mistakes builders make
- Plug every arm straight into the computer: no USB hub and no USB extension, or the arm links drop out. Cameras can share a hub, at most 2 per hub.
- Comment out the forward kinematics call in the Interbotix arm.py publish_positions function as the README says, or teleop slows down and record_episodes.py rejects episodes for running under 42 Hz (issue #18).
- Gripper motors overload and need a reboot if the current limit is left at default; set Current Limit on the follower gripper XM430-W350 in Dynamixel Wizard, and users report the limit is not always respected (issues #6 and #7).
- Logitech C922 cameras can drop to 30 fps at 640x480 or about 10 fps at 720p under Ubuntu 20.04 even though they run fine on Windows (issue #36). Test frame rates before mounting.
- Ports like ttyUSB0 swap between boots; bind each arm and camera to a fixed udev symlink by serial number as the README shows.
- Both arm models on the BOM are discontinued at Trossen (now marked legacy, replaced by WidowX AI). Confirm stock before buying anything else.
- Frame tip over risk: secure the cage to the desk while building, and add the cross cables or camera images shake.
FAQ
How much does it cost to build the ALOHA?
About $21,000 to $24,000 in parts at current prices, Arms dominate (about $20,070 at the last listed S prices; the BOM list total was $19,529). Excludes the Linux PC with 6 USB3 ports and GPU, FDM printer (about $300), filament, hot glue gun, files, WD-40, shipping and tax..
Do I need a 3D printer for the ALOHA?
Yes. 25 PLA pieces on any FDM printer: handle_lower x2, handle_upper x2, lever1 x2, lever2 x2, slider x4, rotor x2, rotor_arm x4, finger1 x2, finger2 x2, cam_mount x2, cam_mount_2 x1. Expect to file holes so sliders run freely.
Is there a kit for the ALOHA?
Yes: Trossen Robotics, Trossen Robotics. Check what each kit leaves out before ordering.
Buying guides for this build
Last checked 2026-10-25. Sources: docs.google.com · github.com · github.com · github.com · github.com · www.trossenrobotics.com · www.trossenrobotics.com · www.trossenrobotics.com