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Back to productsBimanual Manipulation Platform

ALPHA-α (Bi-ACT)

The University of Osaka

Community
Back to productsBimanual Manipulation Platform

ALPHA-α (Bi-ACT)

The University of Osaka

Community

ALPHA-α is a low-cost bimanual leader-follower teleoperation platform built from four 6-DOF OpenMANIPULATOR SARA arms (two leaders, two followers). It uses four-channel bilateral control to teleoperate with both position and force feedback, enabling force-aware imitation learning (Bi-ACT) for everyday two-handed manipulation. Developed at The University of Osaka as an open, roughly-half-the-cost alternative to ALOHA-class rigs.

~ $8,663estimate

~$8,663 reported DIY build cost (self-sourced parts); no official list price

Final pricing via offer — request a quote below.

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Updated18d ago

Tags

bimanualteleoperationbilateral-controlforce-feedbackimitation-learningleader-follower+4 more

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ALPHA-α is a low-cost bimanual leader-follower teleoperation platform built from four 6-DOF OpenMANIPULATOR SARA arms (two leaders, two followers). It uses four-channel bilateral control to teleoperate with both position and force feedback, enabling force-aware imitation learning (Bi-ACT) for everyday two-handed manipulation. Developed at The University of Osaka as an open, roughly-half-the-cost alternative to ALOHA-class rigs.

~ $8,663estimate

~$8,663 reported DIY build cost (self-sourced parts); no official list price

Final pricing via offer — request a quote below.

Save it, compare it, request a quote or record that you have used it — with an account.

Sign in to save or compare
Updated18d ago

Tags

bimanualteleoperationbilateral-controlforce-feedbackimitation-learningleader-follower+4 more

Overview

ALPHA-α is a stationary, DIY-friendly bimanual robot-learning platform centered on force-feedback bilateral teleoperation. Each of the two arms is an OpenMANIPULATOR SARA with 6 degrees of freedom, arranged in a leader-follower configuration (four manipulators total). The system supports position, velocity, and torque (current) control modes and collects joint angles, velocities, and torques at 1000 Hz alongside RGB imagery at ~100 Hz. Its four-channel bilateral control lets a human operator feel environmental interaction forces during demonstration, which the Bi-ACT method exploits for force-aware imitation of everyday bimanual tasks. Reported build cost is about $8,663 for the four manipulators — more than half the cost of a comparable four-arm ALOHA setup (~$19,359). Published in IEEE Access, 2025.

bimanualteleoperationbilateral-controlforce-feedbackimitation-learningleader-followerlow-costresearchdiyopenmanipulator

Key features

  • Bimanual leader-follower rig: 4 OpenMANIPULATOR SARA arms total (2 leaders + 2 followers), 6-DOF each
  • Four-channel bilateral control provides both position and force feedback during teleoperation
  • Force-aware imitation learning via the Bi-ACT method for everyday bimanual tasks
  • Three control modes: position, velocity, and torque (current)
  • Low-cost: ~$8,663 for the four manipulators, roughly half of a comparable ALOHA setup (~$19,359)

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At a glance

Arm Count
4
Teleoperation method (reported)
Four-channel bilateral control (position + force feedback), leader-follower
Mobile Base
No

Manufacturer

TU
The University of Osaka

Public research university in Osaka, Japan. The ALPHA-α / Bi-ACT bimanual teleoperation platform was developed by Masato Kobayashi, Thanpimon Buamanee, and Takumi Kobayashi at the university.

View organisation →

At a glance

Arm Count
4
Teleoperation method (reported)
Four-channel bilateral control (position + force feedback), leader-follower
Mobile Base
No

Manufacturer

TU
The University of Osaka

Public research university in Osaka, Japan. The ALPHA-α / Bi-ACT bimanual teleoperation platform was developed by Masato Kobayashi, Thanpimon Buamanee, and Takumi Kobayashi at the university.

View organisation →