🇰🇷Seoul National University (DYROS Lab)·South Korea·Prototype

TOCABI

首尔大学(DYROS 实验室)

A torque-controlled full-size humanoid built as a walking avatar for remote operation.

PrototypeVerified Last verified 31 Oct 2026
Height180 cm
Degrees of freedom33
Arm payload—
Top speed—
Battery life—
Starting pricePrice on request
First shown2021
StatusPrototype
Form factorFull-size
LocomotionBipedal
Updated31 Oct 2026

What it is

TOCABI (Torque-controlled CompliAnt BIped) is a 1.8 m, 100 kg, 33-DOF humanoid developed at Seoul National University's DYROS laboratory under Professor Jaeheung Park, with industrial design from NJIT. The lower body was built from 2013-2014 and the upper body completed in 2021, when the robot debuted at the ANA Avatar XPRIZE semifinals as a full-size avatar that streams stereo vision and audio to a VR operator. It is often misattributed to KAIST, but the project and team are based at SNU. Torque sensing at every joint and compliance control are central to its design for safe physical interaction.

Highlights

011.8 m, 100 kg, 33 DOF full-size humanoid.
02Torque-controlled joints with compliance for safe interaction.
03Debuted as a VR-operated avatar at the 2021 ANA Avatar XPRIZE semifinals.
04Lower body completed 2014; upper body and full integration 2021.
05Developed at Seoul National University, not KAIST.

The numbers

Body
Height180 cm
Weight100 kg
Form factorFull-size
Motion & power
LocomotionBipedal
Degrees of freedom33
DOF breakdown33 DOF total across legs, arms, torso, neck and hands; per-chain breakdown is not published.
ActuatorsCustom torque-controlled electric actuators with joint torque sensing, designed and built by the team.
Compute, sensing & hands
ComputeReal-time whole-body control computer running hierarchical quadratic programming (HQP); detailed hardware is not published.
SensingHead cameras and microphones for avatar telepresence, joint torque sensors and encoders, inertial sensing.
HandsMulti-fingered hands used for avatar manipulation; hand DOF is not published.

Platform & deployment

AvailabilityResearch prototype only; not commercially available.
Target marketAcademic and industrial humanoid research.
Software / OSCustom real-time whole-body control framework with HQP-based task prioritisation; ROS tooling used in research.
Deployments & partnersSeoul National University laboratories; demonstrated at the ANA Avatar XPRIZE.
Safety & certificationsTorque control and compliant joint behaviour limit the energy released during contact.

Evidence trail

Claims on this profile are linked to primary reporting and manufacturer material where available.

Specifications are sourced from public materials and may change. Always confirm commercial terms with the manufacturer.