robotindex ROBOTIS OpenMANIPULATOR-X
A research- and education-grade 4-DOF desktop arm from ROBOTIS, the South Korean maker of DYNAMIXEL smart actuators, built around 5 all-metal-geared XM430-W350-T servos rather than hobby-grade hardware. Sold as a bare mechanical arm with no bundled controller, computer, or enclosure — it's designed to be paired with a separate U2D2 interface for PC/ROS control or an OpenCR board for standalone operation. An official ROS/ROS2 reference platform with deep MoveIt and Gazebo integration, genuinely Apache-2.0 licensed.
robotis.us/openmanipulator-x-rm-x52-tnm →
Image: user-submitted
Specs
Weight
0.70 kg711.37g total mass, per ROBOTIS's official e-Manual
Software
ROS/ROS2 reference platformApache-2.0 licensed; official MoveIt config and Gazebo simulation support
Degrees of Freedom
5 total4 arm joints + 1 gripper DOF — ROBOTIS's own phrasing, not a 6-axis arm
Actuators
DYNAMIXEL XM430-W350-T ×5full metal gear train, 12-bit magnetic absolute encoder, 0.25° rated backlash
Controller
Not includedneeds a separate U2D2 (PC/ROS control) or OpenCR board (standalone Arduino control)
Reach
380mm500g rated payload; 4.1N·m stall torque per actuator limits payload at full extension
Repeatability
<0.2mm (rated)ROBOTIS-published spec — a real closed-loop figure, not a hobbyist estimate
Construction
Machined/molded aluminum frameexposed bus cabling between joints — no enclosure included
Gripper
Parallel 2-finger20–75mm stroke, prismatic mimic-joint design, same XM430 actuator class
Maker
ROBOTIS Co., Ltd.South Korean, KOSDAQ-listed; designed as a TurtleBot3 companion manipulator
Reference Price
ROBOTIS's own US store and RobotShop both list the bare arm (SKU RM-X52-TNM) at $1,629.09, matched by Generation Robots in the EU at €1,739.56 incl. VAT. That price covers only the arm itself — a power supply, base plate, and controller interface are all sold separately, pushing a realistic working setup to roughly $1,750–$1,900+. As of this later check, ROBOTIS's own store shows this exact kit (RM-X52-TNM) sold out, so treat the price above as a reference figure rather than confirmation of current stock.
Insights
OpenMANIPULATOR-X's software is genuinely Apache-2.0 licensed, with real ROS2 packages, a dedicated MoveIt config, and Gazebo simulation models — a substantive open-source integration, not a token wrapper. A 6-DOF configuration doesn't exist as a factory variant; it's only a user-contributed modification with a payload-capacity tradeoff flagged by ROBOTIS staff on their own forum.
Firmware & Community
ROBOTIS-GIT/open_manipulator
ROBOTIS's own open-source manipulator platform repo.
Specs compiled from ROBOTIS's official e-Manual and product store listings, RobotShop and Generation Robots reseller listings, the ROBOTIS-GIT GitHub organization (LICENSE verified directly as Apache-2.0), the ROS ecosystem's own robot registry, and ROBOTIS/community forum threads, as of this build. Several details are flagged as unconfirmed above: an exact product release date, the precise meaning of the "X" in the name, and any specific university co-development partnership for the hardware itself — none were found in a citable primary source. Moved from Featured to Under Review on a rechecked basis: robotis.us currently shows the RM-X52-TNM kit sold out, and ROBOTIS has been building out a newer "OMX" AI Manipulator line (ai.robotis.com) alongside this platform — it's unclear whether OpenMANIPULATOR-X remains a going-forward product or is being wound down in favor of OMX, so this entry is flagged pending restock or a clearer signal either way.