Choosing the Right Robotics Kit for AI Research: A Practical Hardware Guide

Research and Education Hardware Guide.pdf

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If you’re working in AI, robotics, or machine learning research, selecting the right hardware isn’t just a procurement step—it’s foundational to your success. Whether you're training cutting-edge models like ACT or Pi0, collecting high-quality datasets, or deploying robots in real-world environments, your hardware choices can either accelerate progress or create costly bottlenecks.

At Trossen Robotics, we’ve created a new hardware guide to help researchers, engineers, and educators evaluate what they need—and what they don’t—when it comes to selecting the right robotics kit.

Here’s what you’ll find inside the guide, and why it matters.

Step-by-Step: How to Choose the Right Hardware

The guide begins with five key questions to help define your project scope:

• Are you collecting your own data or using public datasets?

• Will you be training models on-device or in the cloud?

• Is your research environment static and reproducible, or dynamic and in the field?

• Do you need a mobile base?

• Are you working on bimanual manipulation?

Answering these helps narrow down which robotics platform is right for you—Stationary AI, Mobile AI, Solo AI, or the modular WidowX AI arms.

Explore Our Kit Options

Each kit has been purpose-built for different environments and goals:

• Stationary AI: Built for consistency, dataset reproducibility, and lab settings.

• Mobile AI: Designed for field-based manipulation in dynamic environments.

• Solo AI: A low-cost, flexible option for teleoperation, prototyping, and basic data collection.

• WidowX AI: Our next-gen manipulator, available stand-alone, with up to 1.5kg payload capacity and industrial build quality.

All kits come with our open-source software stack and integrate seamlessly with Hugging Face LeRobot, Google Colab, and custom Python/C++ workflows.

Data Collection vs. Training vs. Inferencing: Know the Compute Needs

The guide breaks down compute requirements by task:

• Data Collection: Light CPU workload. Works well on most modern desktops and laptops.

• Model Training: GPU intensive. Requires a high-end GPU with 8GB+ VRAM

• Model Evaluation/Inferencing: Varies. Lightweight models may run on CPUs, while heavier models like Pi0 require dedicated GPU resources.

Whether you're building your own setup or buying a preloaded system, our team can help you match the right compute option to your research goals.

Use Our Compute or Bring Your Own

We offer preloaded compute solutions from Dell, System76, and ASUS that are ready to go out of the box. But we also support bring-your-own-compute (BYOC) setups. Our software is entirely free to use, and as long as your hardware meets our minimum requirements, you’ll have full access to all features—no licenses, subscriptions, or hidden costs.

Need help validating your setup? Just reach out—we’re happy to help.

What Comes With Your Kit?

Every AI kit includes:

• Leader and follower arm(s)

• Intel RealSense D405 cameras (2–4, depending on kit)

• Touchscreen with Free GUI app

• Mounting hardware and cables

• Complete software suite, tutorials, and documentation

• Access to public CAD, STEP, and URDF files

Plus, every purchase is backed by:

• Lifetime product support

• 1-year warranty

• Extensive documentation

• Replacement parts availability

• Tutorials, videos, and guides

Still Deciding? Read the FAQs

The guide wraps up with a thorough FAQ that answers real customer questions about compatibility, setup, hardware customization, supported models, and more.

Start Your Project with Confidence

Whether you're a lab setting up a reproducible research pipeline or an individual researcher prototyping next-gen AI agents, this guide will help you choose the right tools—and avoid common mistakes.

Contact us for a quote or hardware consultation at sales@trossenrobotics.com

Let’s build something groundbreaking—together.