Robonine Labs · Online course + robot kit

Assemble, program and train a real robot —
from your desk at home

A self-paced online robotics course with a personal mentor. Build the SO-ARM101 5-DOF arm, program it in Python, give it vision and train neural-network policies — the same open-source stack (HuggingFace LeRobot) used in university robotics labs.

Get the kit See the program

Real SO-ARM101 hardware, not simulators
10 modules · final project
Online course with a personal mentor
HuggingFace LeRobot ecosystem

The hardware

Everything is in the box

In the kit

SO-ARM101 follower arm — 5-DOF with a parallel gripper
Leader arm for teleoperation and recording demonstrations
USB camera for the computer-vision and learning modules
Power supplies, cables and desk clamps — everything wired in one box

You'll need

A computer — Windows, macOS or Linux, no GPU required
A free USB port and about 40×40 cm of desk
30–40 minutes per module, whenever it suits you

Choose the unassembled kit — building it is module one — or the pre-assembled arm that runs out of the box. Delivery in 3–4 weeks.

The program

From a screwdriver to machine learning in 10 modules

A module takes about 30–40 minutes, and there are no pacing limits — do them all in one sitting or spread them out. Every module ends with a working result on your desk — the progression is honest, no filler.

01

Assembly

Build and calibrate your SO-ARM101 — mechanics, servos, first power-on.
02

Anatomy of a robot

Servo bus, controller, power. Send your first commands from a computer.
03

Motion in Python

Joint positions and trajectories — make the arm move exactly how you tell it.
04

Kinematics without pain

Forward and inverse kinematics in practice: reach any point in space.
05

Grasping & manipulation

Drive the parallel gripper: pick-and-place with repeatable precision.
06

Computer vision

Camera + OpenCV: find an object by colour and shape, then go grab it.
07

Teleoperation

Drive the arm in real time with the leader arm — your hand, its motions.
08

Datasets

Record your own demonstrations as training data for the robot.
09

Imitation learning

Train a neural-network policy (LeRobot) that repeats your movements — autonomously.
10

Final project

Design your own autonomous task and defend it to your mentor.

Robonine Lab

The platform the whole course runs on

Every lesson lives on Robonine Lab — our interactive course platform with checkpoints, code tasks and a live 3D view of your arm. You always know the next step and see real progress, not promises.

Where it leads

Skills that outlast the course

Robotics is the fastest-growing engineering field — and the skills behind it are exactly the ones universities and employers screen for.

A robotics-engineer track

Mechanics, electronics, Python, computer vision and machine learning — layered in the order a working engineer learns them.

The stack universities use

SO-ARM101 and LeRobot are the open-source standard in research labs — what students learn here transfers one-to-one.

A portfolio, not just a certificate

Every module ends with a robot that does something real — recorded, reproducible and worth showing at admissions or interviews.

Pricing

Pick how you want to learn

Every kit includes the full course. The mentor is what you add when you want a human in the loop.

Already own the arm?

Mentored course

$349

Full 10-module course on Robonine Lab
Personal mentor and code review
Works with your SO-ARM100/101

Enroll now

Interactive course + unassembled arm kit

$389

Full 10-module course on Robonine Lab
Self-guided — no mentor
SO-ARM101 kit — both arms, camera, everything in the box
Ships unassembled — building it is module one

Get the kit

The full package

Mentored course + assembled arm kit

$649

Full 10-module course on Robonine Lab
Personal mentor through all 10 modules
Code review and final-project sign-off
Pre-assembled SO-ARM101 — ready to run out of the box
Both arms, camera and the full kit included

Get kit + mentor

Course access lasts 12 months — learn at your own pace. Kit specs and gallery: SO-ARM101 product page.

FAQ

Before you ask

Do I need any robotics or coding experience?

No. The course starts with a screwdriver, and Python is taught along the way in small, practical steps. If you can install a program on a computer, you can start module one.

What computer do I need? Do I need a GPU?

Any reasonably recent Windows, macOS or Linux laptop with a USB port. No GPU is required — the neural-network training in module nine can run on a free cloud GPU, and the course shows you how.

Is it suitable for a 12-year-old?

Yes — the kit is a low-voltage desktop arm and the course assumes no prior knowledge. Younger teens move faster with light parental involvement in the first modules; the mentor handles the technical questions.

How does the mentor actually work?

You get a personal mentor — a robotics engineer — for the whole course. They answer your questions, review the code you submit at the end of each module and sign off your final project. You set the pace; they keep you unstuck.

How long does the course take?

A module takes about 30–40 minutes, so the whole course is a few evenings of focused work. There are no pacing limits — go through everything in one go or spread it out however you like. Access lasts 12 months.

I already have a SO-ARM100/101 — can I just buy the course?

Yes. The $149 mentored course works with any SO-ARM100 or SO-ARM101, whichever colour or vendor it came from.

Get started

Put a real robot on the desk

Order the SO-ARM101 kit with the course included, or start with the mentored course if you already own an arm.

Choose your plan See the full course

Prefer email? hello@robonine.com

Assemble, program and train a real robot —
from your desk at home