Kawada Industries (robot business now Kawada Robotics Corporation) · research humanoid
HRP-4
A slim 'athlete' humanoid with 7-DOF arms, built on HRP-4C technology as a cheaper, lighter research platform.
- Price
- $305,000Cheaper than 6%
- Height
- 151 cmTaller than 35%
- Weight
- 39 kgHeavier than 23%
- Payload
- —Not published
- Speed
- —Not published
- Battery
- —Not published
Not sure this is the one? Find the best robot for your job Starts with: research and teaching. Five more quick questions.
Why it matters
A discontinued humanoid from Kawada Industries and AIST.
Real-world use
Sold to universities and research institutes from January 2011.
Maker
Kawada Industries (robot business now Kawada Robotics Corporation)CompanyPart of the KTI Kawada Group; no external funding rounds reported.
How it stacks up
Against other humanoids that publish the figure. Pick a measure.
HRP-4 is taller than 35% of the 305 other humanoids that publish a height. Bars show the 7 closest in date.
HRP-4 is heavier than 23% of the 277 other humanoids that publish a weight. Bars show the 7 closest in date.
HRP-4 has more joints than 58% of the 236 other humanoids that publish a joints. Bars show the 7 closest in date.
HRP-4 costs less than 6% of the 85 other humanoids that publish a price. Bars show the 7 closest in date.
Not published by the maker: speed, payload, battery.
Public attention
A historic robot: no longer sold or in use, so it is not ranked against current humanoids.
- No Wikipedia article of its own yet
- 2 news stories from reputable press listed on this page
Measures how much people read and write about a robot, not how good it is. Measured 2026-10-14; same method for every robot. How it is measured
What’s inside
The parts the company has talked about publicly.
- Movement
- Walks on legs · 34 joints
- Actuators & motors
- 80 W motors and lower-power motors on every joint, chosen for safety.
- Hands
- 2 DoF per hand; 0.5 kg payload per arm.
- Sensors & vision
- Cameras in head and arms, microphones.
- Compute
- PC/104 Pentium M computer with Wi-Fi; a small notebook PC can be mounted on the back for extra processing.
- Materials & build
- Aluminium-alloy frame with plastic covers; 151 cm, 39 kg.
- AI & software
- Linux with RT-Preempt patch, OpenRTM-aist middleware, OpenHRP3 simulator, OpenHRI and OpenCV.
- Other details
- 34 DoF (7 per arm). AIST aimed for a total cost well below the earlier HRP series.
Named suppliers:Intel
Lineage
Every Kawada Industries and AIST humanoid in order.
Watch HRP-4
Made, sold and where
Unit counts are usually company figures; analysts often disagree.
- Price
- $305,000Unchanged from existing record
- How to get one
- No official buying page found
- Sold or delivered
- Supplied by Kawada to universities and research institutes in Japan and overseas from January 2011 (AIST)
- Where it is sold or used
- Japan and overseas
News
The latest 2, newest first. Summaries are ours; tap through for the original.
- Deliveries begin
Kawada began manufacturing and supplying HRP-4 to research institutions.
AIST - HRP-4 shown
HRP-4 was first presented at the Robotics Society of Japan conference.
AIST
Side by side with its peers
Picked by the same rules for every humanoid: another maker’s robot that moves the same way, is at the same stage and does at least one of the same main jobs, first shown within two years. Closer size and price rank higher. How we choose
| Measure | HRP-4Kawada Industries and AIST |  Surena IUniversity of Tehran, Center for Advanced VehiclesSame job: research · Both walk · Both past robots · Similar size |  ARMAR-4Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (H2T, Tamim Asfour)Same job: research · Both walk · Both past robots · Similar size |  RoboraySamsung Electronics (robotics division) with KISTSame job: research · Both walk · Both past robots · Similar size |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| First shown | 2010-09 | 2008 | 2012 | 2012-10 |
| Status | Discontinued | Retired | Retired | Retired |
| Height | 151 cm | 165 cm | 170 cm | 150 cm |
| Weight | 39 kg | 60 kg | 70 kg | 62 kg |
| Joints | 34 | 8 | 63 | 32 |
| Speed | — | — | — | — |
| Payload | — | — | — | — |
| Battery | — | — | — | — |
| Price | $305,000 | — | — | — |
Sources
Figures come from the maker. Every link below backs something on this page.
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