Axol
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What is Axol?
Axol is a dual-arm robot designed for builders and teams working on physical AI, automation, and real-world manipulation tasks. Unlike robots built for demos or simulators, Axol is engineered for real work and is ready out of the box. It features two independent 7-DOF arms with 860mm reach per arm and 6.5kg peak payload, giving users a wider workspace with fewer singularities and compromises.
Key features include an open-source Python SDK and CLI with bimanual inverse kinematics, low-level CAN motor interface, ZED camera streaming, LeRobot bindings, and VR teleoperation via WebXR. The robot supports wrist-mount cameras with FAKRA GMSL 2.0 passthrough connectors for high-speed machine vision, has fully internally routed cables for durability, and is built with steel, aluminum, and TPU for long-term reliability in production environments. Axol ships with a height-adjustable mobile base, 3 ZED X One S cameras, and a ZED Box Orin NX 16GB computer.
Axol is aimed at robotics developers, AI labs, research groups, startups, and manufacturers building physical AI systems who need real manipulation capabilities for data collection, policy training, and early automation pilots. It is particularly useful for high-mix pick-and-place tasks, machine tending, inspection, kitchen work, and lab work where hard-coded robots struggle without reprogramming. The robot is assembled in Dogpatch, San Francisco, and the company offers custom hardware integrations, data collection services, and on-site repair for SF Bay Area deployments.
Axol pricing
Pricing model: Freemium
$7,999 for Axol dual-arm robot (launch discount price). The complete Axol Kit with height-adjustable base, 3 ZED X One S cameras, and ZED Box Orin NX 16GB computer costs $11,999. Axol Base alone is a height-adjustable mobile base. Custom hardware integrations, data collection services, and on-site repair service are priced on request or per hour of usable data collected. The robot ships from San Francisco with a 30-day return policy.
Axol pros
- 860mm arm reach per arm, outperforming comparable platforms
- 6.5kg peak payload per arm for heavy tasks
- Two independent 7-DOF arms for bimanual manipulation
- Full 180° pitch and yaw at wrist reduces shoulder singularities
- 500Hz CAN control rate for precise real-time operation
- Open-source Python SDK and CLI with bimanual IK solver
- WebXR VR teleoperation from any compatible headset
- LeRobot bindings for training policies
- FAKRA GMSL 2.0 passthrough connectors for wrist cameras
- Fully internally routed cables protect from damage
- Steel, aluminum, and TPU construction for production reliability
- Height-adjustable mobile base with sit-to-stand adjustment
- Modular and customizable design for hardware integration
- 3 ZED X One S cameras included in kit for vision
- ZED Box Orin NX 16GB computer included for onboard compute
- Assembled in San Francisco for fast local support
- Ships in 4-8 weeks from San Francisco
- 30-day return policy for buyer protection
Axol cons
- $7,999 price point may be expensive for individual hobbyists
- Full kit with base, cameras, and computer costs $11,999
- Only supports Linux operating system
- ZED cameras require Nvidia GPUs for operation
- On-site repair only available in SF Bay Area
- Stand is fixed with locking wheels, not remotely controllable
- Not a finished warehouse automation system, requires training
- Safety certifications and industrial compliance not explicitly stated
Frequently asked questions about Axol
What is Axol designed for?
Axol is a dual-arm robot designed for teams automating real work with physical AI. It is aimed at builders who need a robot arm platform for physical AI research, data collection, and early automation pilots, not just simulators.
Do I need 3 Zed X cameras to make my tasks work well?
You can probably get away with 2 wrist cameras, which is what generalist robots do. However, 1 head camera plus 2 wrist cameras is how folks often do training. The wrist cameras act as a clever way to replace touch since robots don't have it yet. You can also try 1 head camera plus torque feedback.
Can I run Axol from my desktop or laptop?
Axol only supports Linux right now, so you can run it from any Linux box. However, the ZED cameras require Nvidia GPUs, so the ZED Boxes are the perfect compute module for the application since they provide Linux plus GPU capability.
Will you open source different policies we can run out of the box?
Yes, as Almond trains Axol on tasks internally, they will open source the weights. They also plan to create a repo of task policies that are already trained and can be used out of the box, with an ecosystem for agents to select between models fine-tuned for different tasks.
Can the stand be remotely controlled?
The stand is fixed but has locking wheels. You need to move it yourself, but you can mount it anywhere you need. The mounting holes are in the datasheet, and some users have considered putting it on remote controlled vehicles.
What is the first job teams are automating with Axol?
The first few folks Almond has been talking to happen to be focused on kitchens. However, Axol is also useful for high-mix picking, machine tending, pick and place, inspection, and lab work.
How many Axols can the factory make in a week?
Almond is able to ramp up production to 100s of Axols a month, which means they can produce dozens per week depending on demand.
What is the typical setup time for non-roboticists?
Less than an hour. The kit comes with everything you need to collect data and deploy a policy, making it accessible for users without extensive robotics expertise.
Does Axol come with an open source SDK?
Yes, Axol includes an open source Python SDK and CLI with bimanual IK solver, low-level CAN motor interface, ZED camera streaming, LeRobot bindings, joint tuning toolkit, WebXR VR teleoperation pipeline, and a console for controlling Axol. All is available on GitHub.
What services does Almond offer beyond selling Axol?
Almond offers custom hardware integrations (mobile base and lift integration, custom mechanical interfaces, arm spec updates, end-effector customization), data collection services (high-quality labeled manipulation data in LeRobot format, priced per hour of usable data), and on-site repair service for SF Bay Area deployments with guaranteed response SLAs covering mechanical and electrical issues.