CategoryHumanoids
Overview
Singapore-based applied R&D lab building Asimov, an open-source humanoid robot platform for builders, engineers, and researchers. Founded in 2023, Menlo Research develops both the hardware (DIY humanoid kits with full BOM, CAD files, and simulation models on GitHub) and software stack (Asimov OS, embodied AI).
The company operates without external funding and has released a roadmap targeting state-of-the-art humanoid capabilities by Asimov 5. Its research includes world-encoder models (Kepler v0.1) and RL-based locomotion policies for sim-to-real transfer.
Reality check
Product (company-claimed)
Asimov, an open-source DIY humanoid robot kit.
Roadmap (company-claimed)
Asimov 0 legs (Jan 2026), Asimov 1 full body (Apr 2026), Asimov 2 bimanual next.
Walking policy recipe (company-claimed, Sep 2026)
Open-sourced Asimov 1's full walking-policy training code built on Isaac Lab.
Funding status (company-claimed)
Bootstrapped, with no external investment.
Verified record
- Verified deployments
- None on file
- Active incidents
- None on file
Models (1)
View all models →Partnerships
Every company Menlo Research has built with, alongside the ones only announced in a press release.
Menlo Research on the deployment map
View the global mapMenlo Research has no verified deployments on the DEPLOY registry yet. Explore the deployment map by place and type.
No verified deployments for Menlo Research on the DEPLOY record yet. Track Menlo Research to know the moment the first one is verified.
Relationships
Safety record
No incidents on record for Menlo Research.
Only active incidents are counted. Retracted incidents are excluded from this summary but remain reachable at their canonical URLs.
Full safety record: incidents, sourcing, and exposure data →
Recent coverage
Menlo Research in third-party press
Peer companies
- Unitree Robotics12 models
- AgiBot6 models
- DLR Institute of Robotics and Mechatronics6 models
- Dobot6 models
- AheadForm5 models
- Boston Dynamics5 models
Partnerships
2 total · 2 operating
Every company Menlo Research has built with, alongside the ones only announced in a press release.
All 2 partnerships
open in the atlas →- technology—operating
- menlo-research x awswithAWS30technology—operating
Recent activity
Every change to this record is dated, sourced, and independently verified where marked.
- Record createdAug 11, 2026
Added to the verified registry
Sources (7)
- https://menlo.ai/
- https://menlo.ai/asimov-1
- https://robotico.market/company/asimov
- https://humanoid.guide/product/asimov/
- https://github.com/menloresearch/isaac_asimov/ · 2026-09-28
- https://x.com/asimovinc/status/2104432947344609367 · 2026-09-28
- https://menlo.ai/blog/teaching-a-humanoid-to-walk · 2026-02-03
Common questions
What is Menlo Research?
What does Menlo Research make?
Is Menlo Research publicly traded?
Who competes with Menlo Research?
How can I invest in Menlo Research?
Where is Menlo Research headquartered?
Who owns Menlo Research?
Where does Menlo Research operate robots?
Is Menlo Research a top robotics company?
Is Menlo Research safe?
Methodology: Verified · 7 sources (2 primary) · last reviewed 2026-10-22
Verification posture
Verified
High confidence
Review state
Stable
Last reviewed 2026-10-22
Sources by quality tier
- 4
- unclassified
- Unclassified source
- 2
- primary-company-ir
- Company IR disclosure
- 1
- code-repository
- Code repository
The framework is documented at /methodology. Corrections at /corrections. Reviewer: DEPLOY editorial team.
Methodology surface for Menlo Research.Peer companies
- Unitree Robotics12 models
- AgiBot6 models
- DLR Institute of Robotics and Mechatronics6 models
- Dobot6 models
- AheadForm5 models
- Boston Dynamics5 models
In the press
Recent coverage mentioning Menlo Research from third-party publications. Automatically surfaced; not part of the verified registry record.
Asimov 1 is an open-source reference humanoid robot — ships as complete DIY kit for 0,000
Asimov announces that Asimov 1 ships as a complete DIY kit for 0,000, delivered to your door. The open-source reference humanoid is available for pre-order with a 99 deposit.
5K Humanoid Robot Kit Aims to Bring Bipedal Robotics to the Masses
eWeek covers Menlo Research's Asimov DIY humanoid robot kit, aimed at developers, researchers, and hobbyists for accessible bipedal robotics.
Asimov 1 — Open reference humanoid for physical AI builders
Menlo Research launches Asimov 1, an open-source DIY humanoid robot kit (0,000) with full BOM, CAD files, MuJoCo simulation, and pre-trained walking policy on GitHub.
Asimov open-sources v1 humanoid to kickstart robot dev ecosystem
StartupFortune covers Asimov's open-source release of v1 humanoid, highlighting how Menlo Research aims to lower barriers to humanoid development.
Asimov Launches 5000 Here Be Dragons DIY Humanoid Kit
Humanoids Daily covers Asimov's launch of the Here Be Dragons DIY humanoid kit at 5,000, moving from GitHub repository to physical hardware.
Machine-readable surfaces
- Markdown mirror: /companies/menlo-research.md
- RSS feed: /companies/menlo-research/feed.xml
- JSON-LD: embedded in this page’s head
- REST API: /v1/companies/2e60ecf2-aeb8-435d-a91d-d99b3f9486ae
- Revision history: /companies/menlo-research/history
- Data documentation: /data
- Query this programmatically: Deploy MCP
Peer companies
- Unitree Robotics12 models
- AgiBot6 models
- DLR Institute of Robotics and Mechatronics6 models
- Dobot6 models
- AheadForm5 models
- Boston Dynamics5 models
Video
Imitation data is now running on the robot, motors moving in sync, joint limits established, and the mechanical and electrical stack operating together.
We sit down with Prof. Fan Shi, from the human-centric robotics lab at NUS to discuss why simulation, not real-world data collection, is the only scalable path
Get an early look at what we're shipping at Menlo Research. We'll show what's in progress, what just shipped, and what's coming. Bring questions, we'll answer
We're exploring how language models handle simple spatial tasks—like placing objects on a table—using a tokenization approach we call AlphaSpace. The model pre
Menlo (featured on Quasa.io/projects/menlo) is a cutting-edge AI platform that's building the brains for the humanoid robot era in 2026. This groundbreaking sol
Heat Index
Serious54/100
A composite of competitive footprint, funding, press velocity, active partnerships, and supply-chain edges. Different from the Intelligence score below (which is per-form-factor productization). Non-robotics companies cap at 25.
Reality vs attention
Menlo Research draws attention at the 22nd percentile but verifies reality at the insufficient-data level among humanoids.
6-month trend
Analysis
Limited public visibility and press coverage relative to peers.
Dimension breakdown
Verified signal
Attention (reach, not merit)
DEPLOY Intelligence scores are computed from verified registry data: confirmed deployments, disclosed funding rounds, regulatory filings, active job listings, video viewership, and press coverage. Confidence ratings reflect data availability. Scores update nightly.
DEPLOY Indices — verified vs claimed
Last computed: Nov 10, 2026