Rainbow Robotics · South Korea · Full-size
DRC-HUBO+
The teleoperated transforming biped that won the 2015 DARPA Robotics Challenge, historically important but never a product you could buy.
Price on request
Verified 2 months agoWhat is in the crate
5 included|3 not included
Grippers, not dexterous hands
Not dexterous hands. Each hand is a purpose-built power gripper optimized for high-force grasping of tools, valves, and door handles rather than fine manipulation. Sources describe it as an adaptive gripper for hard and soft objects; the right hand adds a dedicated finger for pulling drill triggers. This design suited a disaster-response contest where crushing grip mattered more than dexterity, so do not mistake it for an Atlas-class or Shadow-class dexterous hand.
In the crate
You still have to add
Day oneNothing consumer-friendly.
Reality check
This is a 2015 competition robot, not something you can order. There is no list price, no shipping, no support line, and its grippers crush power tools rather than manipulate them. If you actually need a Rainbow humanoid to run today, look at their current RB-Y1, not the DRC-HUBO.
Can you get one, and what will it cost?
A planning estimate with machine, freight, duty, and tax shown separately.
You cannot order the DRC-HUBO+ today: it is research only.
Historically a competition and research platform, never a consumer or general-business product. Copies went to universities and labs. It is effectively unavailable new today: treat it as a reference/museum-grade machine, not a purchasable robot.
Import requirements for United StatesConformity, battery shipping, paperwork, and source documents. Review before ordering.
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Open the import referenceAvailability
Catalog checked 2026-09
Research institutions only. Confirm eligibility and configuration with the maker.
Historically a competition and research platform, never a consumer or general-business product. Copies went to universities and labs. It is effectively unavailable new today: treat it as a reference/museum-grade machine, not a purchasable robot.
Price notes: No public list price. Estimates from the DARPA era put a single unit at roughly $500,000 to $1,000,000 (a figure attributed to Prof. Jun-Ho Oh in IEEE Spectrum). Only four were built by KAIST/Rainbow for the 2015 competition. This is not a product you add to a cart: it was a bespoke disaster-response research platform, and any acquisition was a direct institutional deal with Rainbow Robotics, not a listed sale. Rainbow Robotics has since focused its commercial business on collaborative arms (RB series) and the newer RB-Y1 dual-arm wheeled robot, not the DRC-HUBO.
No seller listing is recorded. Check the sources below for the maker’s latest information.
Prices remain in the seller’s listed currency. Tax, freight, options, and rental periods follow each seller’s terms. A seller’s region does not guarantee delivery to your address.
How the DRC-HUBO+ rates
Editorial ratings based on listed specifications and sales availability. They do not measure task performance, autonomy, or reliability.
- Class
- Frontier machineA cutting-edge full-scale humanoid aimed at real work. Mostly enterprise, or still proving out.
- CapabilityHardware specification indicators
- 4/5
- Baseline: any humanoid+1
- Degrees of freedom: 31 DOF+1.5
- Dexterity: grippers, not dexterous hands+0.25
- Scale: 170 cm tall+0.75
- Payload: 15 kg+0.5
- MaturitySales availability indicators
- 2/5
- How it sells: research institutions+2
Key specifications
Height
170 cm
Width
59 cm
Depth
n/a
Weight
80 kg
Degrees of freedom
31
Battery
n/a
Payload
15 kg
Top speed
0.5 m/s
Understand before you buy
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Size to scale
Drawn next to a 1.80 m (5 ft 11 in) person. Every robot on the site uses this same reference, so you can trust the comparison at a glance.
DRC-HUBO+: 170 cm / 5 ft 7 in, 80 kg
Footprint: 59 cm wide
What it does on day onewith zero programming
Nothing consumer-friendly. This is a teleoperated research humanoid: an operator drives it through the PODO framework to walk, transform onto its knee wheels, turn valves, use power tools, open doors, and climb stairs and debris. It does not do anything useful autonomously and there is no plug-and-play application layer.
Best for: Robotics historians, museums, and legacy research labs studying the machine that won the DARPA Robotics Challenge. Not for buyers who want a working robot delivered.
What it takes to developskills, gear, and SDK access
Serious robotics engineering. You work in the PODO real-time control framework on a Xenomai/Linux real-time OS, with Gazebo for simulation and a ROS bridge for higher-level planning. Expect to write low-level motion, balance, and teleoperation code. There is no beginner path and no modern managed SDK.
Sources and verificationchecked 2026-09
Sources
- How South Korea's DRC-HUBO Robot Won the DARPA Robotics Challenge (IEEE Spectrum)
- DRC-Hubo+ - ROBOTS: Your Guide to the World of Robotics
- Robot System of DRC-HUBO+ and Control Strategy of Team KAIST in DARPA Robotics Challenge Finals (Journal of Field Robotics, 2017)
- Rainbow Robotics - Wikipedia
- Team KAIST's DRC-HUBO Robot Completes Tasks at DARPA Robotics Challenge (IEEE Spectrum, YouTube)
- Development of the Humanoid Disaster Response Platform DRC-HUBO+ (IEEE Xplore)
Price and availability verified 2026-09. Spotted a change? Tell us and we fix the listing.
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