Technical Specifications
| Manufacturer | Nori Robotics |
|---|---|
| Payload | 55 kg (122 lb) vertical lift; 1.5 kg with arms extended |
| Battery Life | 6–8 hours |
| Degrees of Freedom | 19 |
| AI Platform | Nori Lab laptop app + Skill Marketplace |
| Price | $1,688 |
| Sensors | Lidar, 4× 720p cameras (hands, head, neck), speaker + microphone |
The Nori A3 is a $1,688 bimanual home robot from Nori Robotics, a Y Combinator-backed startup based in San Francisco. Launched in August 2026, it is one of the cheapest capable robot platforms available, undercutting nearly every humanoid on the market. The first units shipped on July 21, 2026, and a second batch is scheduled to ship in fall 2026.
Unlike bipedal humanoids, the A3 rides on a wheeled base with a central telescoping body core that raises and lowers its head and arms. This trades stair-climbing and outdoor mobility for stability, cost and lifting strength: the A3 can lift 55 kg (122 lb) vertically, though payload with arms extended is limited to about 1.5 kg.
The robot has 19 degrees of freedom, lidar for navigation, four 720p cameras (on the hands, head and neck), and a speaker and microphone for voice commands. Battery life is 6 to 8 hours. Owners train and manage it through the Nori Lab laptop app, and can share or install task skills through the company’s Skill Marketplace — an app-store model for robot abilities.
Nori Robotics positions the A3 for household tasks such as fetching items from the fridge, pouring drinks, loading dishwashers and folding clothes, and as a low-cost platform for developers and researchers working on physical AI.
Note on specifications: Nori Robotics and most coverage list 19 degrees of freedom for the A3. Some reports cite 20 DoF, apparently conflating the A3 with the company’s earlier Nori L3 model. This page uses the manufacturer figure of 19.
Sources
- norirobotics.com (manufacturer, retrieved 2026-08-23)
- Forbes, “American Humanoid Robot Launches For Just $1,688”, John Koetsier, 2026-08-18
- Interesting Engineering, “New US humanoid robot targets house chores with $1,688 price tag”, 2026-08-20
- Y Combinator company page: Nori (founded 2026, Antonio Sitong Li)
✓ Pros
- Lowest-priced bimanual mobile manipulator on the market at $1,688
- 55 kg (122 lb) vertical lift via telescoping body core
- US-assembled (San Francisco), already shipping — not vaporware (first units July 21, 2026)
- Skill Marketplace: owners train tasks and share/install skills
- Lidar navigation plus four 720p cameras (hands, head, neck)
✗ Cons
- Wheeled base, not bipedal — flat indoor floors only
- Extended-arm payload is only 1.5 kg (~3.3 lb)
- 720p cameras are low-resolution by 2026 standards
- Small production batches — availability risk if demand spikes
- Company founded 2026; support, parts and warranty track record unproven