OpenCatESP32 — OpenCat Framework on ESP32/BiBoard

🚀 Quaddle — Petoi's newest OpenCat-lineage quadruped — launches on Kickstarter August 2026. Reserve your spot → (details below)

OpenCatESP32 runs the OpenCat quadruped robotics framework on BiBoard — an ESP32-based development board designed for multi-degree-of-freedom legged robots with up to 12 servos. Developed by Petoi, the maker of futuristic programmable robotic pets.

This is the codebase for current-generation Petoi hardware. If you're on the older NyBoard (ATmega328P), see the main OpenCat repo.

Click either GIF to watch the demo.

Coming Soon: Quaddle mini robot dog

Quaddle is Petoi's newest quadruped, launching on Kickstarter August 2026 — a mini desk robot built on the same OpenCat lineage as Bittle and Nybble. What makes it worth a look: it's a full quadruped running on just 4 servos instead of the usual 8–12, which forces genuinely different gait-design and leg-coordination solutions to still get all four legs walking, running, and balancing. Its servos are also position-feedback — readable, not just drivable — which is what makes Puppet Mode possible: hand-guide the legs and record a motion directly, no code required to capture a new behavior. We'll also share 3D-printable shells and mounts for customization. Same open platform this repo already supports for gait research, RL, and sim2real work — a hands-on physical AI platform, not a toy version of the idea.

Source code is not yet public. It's an upgraded version of the OpenCat project, and its ESP32-S3 code structure is closer to this repo than to the main NyBoard-based OpenCat repo. We plan to open source it before Quaddle delivery. Watch this repo and r/petoi for the announcement, or reserve a spot to get notified at launch.

About the Project

Inspired by Boston Dynamics' Spot, Dr. Rongzhong Li started OpenCat in his dorm at Wake Forest University in 2016. The goal was straightforward: make agile quadruped robots affordable and hackable enough for researchers, educators, and makers — not just well-funded labs.

Since then: - 30,000+ robots shipped, cumulative across all channels - 60+ countries - $1M+ raised across two prior Kickstarter and Indiegogo campaigns - 20+ academic papers cite the platform — see Research Spotlight - One of the most-starred open-source quadruped robot projects on GitHub

Hardware

BiBoard is the control board for:

• 🐶 Bittle X — mini robot dog & AI robotics kit with voice control · buy on Amazon
• 🐱 Nybble Q — mini robot cat & AI robotics kit

The older Bittle and Nybble (NyBoard) are discontinued. BiBoard is the current platform.

Why BiBoard Over NyBoard?

The ATmega328P (NyBoard) gets the job done for locomotion. BiBoard is for when your robotics programming needs more headroom:

• ESP32 dual-core @ 240 MHz — handle real-time servo coordination and a perception pipeline simultaneously
• Wi-Fi + Bluetooth built in — wireless control and data streaming without a dongle
• Up to 12 servos — full 12-DOF configurations
• Arduino IDE compatible — same workflow, more horsepower
• Open source — hardware and software both forkable

If you're building an open source robot dog for research, running ROS, deploying a vision model, or just want room to experiment — BiBoard is the right foundation.

Board Configuration

Arduino IDE settings (ESP32 Dev Module):

Full setup: Upload Sketch for BiBoard

What People Have Built

• AI and computer vision applications
• Raspberry Pi robotics projects
• NVIDIA Isaac simulations and reinforcement learning
• SLAM with ROS using Bittle and Raspberry Pi

Academic and research use: Research Spotlight

Education

OpenCat shows up in AI robotics education across K-12 programs, community colleges, university labs, and maker spaces — hands-on physical AI teaching that goes beyond screen-based coding exercises:

• Robotics education showcases
• STEM & robotics curriculum resources
• Robotics competitions

Community & Discussion

• r/OpenCat — firmware code, framework hacking, extending and porting OpenCat
• r/Petoi — hardware Q&A, builds, quadruped coding, curriculum, 3D-printed parts, general discussion

Resources

• Petoi Guides
• AI reinforcement learning with Petoi
• FinoBot — AI robot dog with Raspberry Pi and ROS2
• Robotics research with Bittle adapting to different surfaces at Haverford College
• Advanced tutorials by the community
• All kits and accessories
• FAQ

Follow the project: YouTube · Twitter · Instagram · Facebook · LinkedIn