JST ERATO Kitano Symbiotic Systems Project · research humanoid
PINO
A child-sized (about 70 cm) biped built from 26 inexpensive hobby servos from Hiroaki Kitano's ERATO project, that learned to walk with a genetic algorithm because its cheap motors lacked torque for a standard gait. ZMP later sold commercial versions to research institutes.
- Price
- $30,000Cheaper than 46%
- Height
- 71 cmTaller than 3%
- Weight
- —Not published
- Payload
- —Not published
- Speed
- —Not published
- Battery
- —Not published
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Why it matters
One of the first humanoids whose hardware and software designs were released openly (OpenPINO, from 2001); it won a 2000 Good Design Award and was exhibited at the Venice Biennale and MoMA.
Real-world use
No customers or deployments reported yet.
Timeline
- Released
- Not yet
Maker
JST ERATO Kitano Symbiotic Systems ProjectCompanyHow it stacks up
Against other humanoids that publish the figure. Pick a measure.
PINO is taller than 3% of the 305 other humanoids that publish a height. Bars show the 7 closest in date.
PINO costs less than 46% of the 85 other humanoids that publish a price. Bars show the 7 closest in date.
Not published by the maker: weight, speed, payload, joints, 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
- No recent press stories listed yet
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
No component details published yet.
- Hands
- none
- Movement
- Walks on legs
From the maker
PINO is the only humanoid from JST ERATO Kitano Symbiotic Systems Project (later licensed to ZMP) in the atlas.
Made, sold and where
No production or sales figures published yet.
- Price
- $30,000About $30,000 when sold by ZMP to universities and labs (2002), with a target of about $20,000
- How to get one
- No official buying page found
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 | PINOJST ERATO Kitano Symbiotic Systems Project (later licensed to ZMP) |  SDR-3XSony (Digital Creatures Laboratory)Same job: entertainment · Both walk · Both past robots · Similar size |  QRIO (SDR-4X)SonySame job: entertainment · Both walk · Both past robots · Similar size |
|---|---|---|---|
| First shown | 2000 | 2000-11-21 | 2002-03-19 |
| Status | Retired | Retired | Discontinued |
| Height | 71 cm | 50 cm | 58 cm |
| Weight | — | — | 6.5 kg |
| Joints | — | 24 | 38 |
| Speed | — | 0.9 km/h | 1.1 km/h |
| Payload | — | — | — |
| Battery | — | — | 1 h |
| Price | $30,000 | — | — |
Sources
Figures come from press coverage. Every link below backs something on this page.
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