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ALPHA-α (Bi-ACT)

Name: ALPHA-α (Bi-ACT)
Brand: The University of Osaka

The University of Osaka

Community

Back to products Bimanual 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 · Listed Jul 2026

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

Observed price, not an offer.

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Updated44d ago

At a glance

Arm Count

Teleoperation method (reported)

Four-channel bilateral control (position + force feedback), leader-follower

Mobile Base

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.

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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Compare in a table

All of them:Arm Count 4Leader Arms Included Yes

ProductTeleoperation method (reported)Mobile BaseLeRobot SupportPrice

ALPHA-α (Bi-ACT)

This product

Teleoperation method (reported)Four-channel bilateral control (position + force feedback), leader-follower

Mobile BaseNo

LeRobot Support—

Price—

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Specifications

Configuration

Arm Count

Teleoperation method (reported)

Four-channel bilateral control (position + force feedback), leader-follower

Mobile Base

Leader Arms Included

Yes

Per-Arm Specs

Arm Degrees of Freedom (per arm)

Perception