UCLA Builds $400 PhoneBot Humanoid Using Android Phones as Its Brain

3 articles · Updated · Fox News · Nov 6

$400 in hardware lets UCLA's new PhoneBot walk on two legs using an Android smartphone as its main computing and sensing system, excluding the phone itself.
13 motorized joints, a phone camera and motion sensors handle balance, person-tracking and recovery after a face-down fall, while commands go over Wi-Fi to onboard motor controls.
Four Android models powered the robot's core functions, including a 2017 Honor 9 and prepaid phones costing about $50 to $90, though the older device could not run one mapping feature.
Open-source hardware designs are available for noncommercial use, but UCLA's published materials do not clearly include the full Android app and trained walking software needed to fully reproduce the robot.
UCLA aims to cut humanoid robotics costs for schools and research labs, with future work focused on uneven terrain, lightweight arms and moving more conversational AI onto the phone.