Alpha 1S vs Darwin-OP

Q: Who makes Alpha 1S and Darwin-OP?

Alpha 1S is made by UBTECH Robotics Corp Ltd., based in CN. Darwin-OP is made by ROBOTIS Co., Ltd., based in KR.

Q: When were Alpha 1S and Darwin-OP launched?

Alpha 1S launched in 2013. Darwin-OP launched in 2010.

Q: How do Alpha 1S and Darwin-OP compare on the Robo Index?

Alpha 1S grades BB on the Robo Index. Darwin-OP grades AA. The Robo Index is a credibility grade (AAA … C) that blends commercial maturity, verified deployments, company standing, and independent coverage — see methodology for the full breakdown.

Q: Are Alpha 1S and Darwin-OP in the same category?

Both robots are classified as Humanoid on Robolist. Filters and ranking treat them as direct alternatives.

Q: What is the realistic total cost of ownership for Humanoid robots?

Hardware cost is one input. Humanoid TCO also includes integration, training, downtime, and end-of-life. Our breakdown: Humanoid TCO: Hardware, Cloud Subscriptions, and the Cost of Teleop Time.

Q: What should a buyer ask vendors when choosing between Alpha 1S and Darwin-OP?

Spec sheets only show part of the story. Useful vendor questions cover support, lifecycle, integration cost, and references. We have a buyer-focused checklist: Vendor Selection for Humanoids: The 10 Questions You Must Ask.

Side-by-side comparison of Alpha 1S (UBTECH Robotics Corp Ltd.) and Darwin-OP (ROBOTIS Co., Ltd.) — specs, pricing, Robo Index, and verified deployments. Updated daily.

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Optimized for Last-Mile Delivery buyers. Priority specs lifted to the top and marked with a target.

Alpha 1SBB

Darwin-OPAA

Layer 1: Identity & Trust

Manufacturer Country

Alpha 1SChina
Darwin-OPSouth Korea

Year First Available

Alpha 1S2013
Darwin-OP2010

Verified Deployments

Alpha 1S0 Deployments
Darwin-OP0 Deployments

Layer 2: Operational

Price

Alpha 1SUp to $650 USD
Darwin-OP$12,000 USD

Battery / Shift Runtime

Alpha 1S1 hrs
Darwin-OP0.5 hrs

Availability Status

Alpha 1SACTIVE
Darwin-OPACTIVE

Physical Form Factor

Height

Alpha 1S59 mm
Darwin-OP45.72 cm

Weight

Alpha 1S4 kg
Darwin-OP9.1 kg

Mobility Type

Alpha 1Sbipedal
Darwin-OPbipedal

Humanoid Subtype

Alpha 1Sservice humanoid
Darwin-OPfull bipedal

Walking Speed

Alpha 1S—
Darwin-OP0.2 m/s

Stair Climbing

Alpha 1SNo
Darwin-OPNo

Terrain

Alpha 1Sflat indoor
Darwin-OPflat indoor

Payload & Dexterity

Total DOF

Alpha 1S20
Darwin-OP20

Arm DOF

Alpha 1S3
Darwin-OP3

Bimanual Coordination

Alpha 1SNo
Darwin-OPNo

Compute & AI

Onboard Compute

Alpha 1SRM 32位 Cortex-A7 CPU: 900MHz
Darwin-OPIntel Atom N2600 @1.6 GHz dual core

VLM Capable

Alpha 1SNo
Darwin-OPNo

Foundation Models

Alpha 1Sfalse
Darwin-OPfalse

Imitation Learning

Alpha 1SNo
Darwin-OPNo

Programming

Alpha 1Smodular programming
Darwin-OPcode_python, code_ros

Battery & Power

Runtime

Alpha 1S1 hrs
Darwin-OP0.5 hrs

Battery Swap

Alpha 1SNo
Darwin-OPNo

Software

SDK Languages

Alpha 1SChinese
Darwin-OPC++

ROS Support

Alpha 1SNo
Darwin-OPYes

Open API

Alpha 1SNo
Darwin-OPYes

Reliability

Deployment Maturity

Alpha 1Scommercial
Darwin-OPcommercial

Commercial

Price (USD)

Alpha 1SUp to $650 USD
Darwin-OP$12,000 USD

Price Tier

Alpha 1S40-80K
Darwin-OP10-20K

Pricing Model

Alpha 1Spurchase
Darwin-OPpurchase

Warranty

Alpha 1S—
Darwin-OP1 yrs

Applications

Alpha 1S娱乐
Darwin-OPeducation, research

	Alpha 1ShumanoidUBTECH Robotics Corp Ltd. BBRobo Index	Darwin-OPhumanoidROBOTIS Co., Ltd. AARobo Index
Layer 1: Identity & Trust
Manufacturer Country (values differ)	China	South Korea
Year First Available (values differ)	2013	2010
Verified Deployments	0 Deployments	0 Deployments
Layer 2: Operational
Price (values differ)	Up to $650 USD	$12,000 USD
Battery / Shift Runtime (priority for Last-Mile Delivery buyers) (values differ)	1 hrs	0.5 hrs
Availability Status	ACTIVE	ACTIVE
Layer 3: Category Specific
Physical Form Factor
Height (values differ)	59 mm	45.72 cm
Weight (values differ)	4 kg	9.1 kg
Mobility Type	bipedal	bipedal
Humanoid Subtype (values differ)	service humanoid	full bipedal
Walking Speed (values differ)	—	0.2 m/s
Stair Climbing	No	No
Terrain (values differ)	flat indoor	flat indoor
Payload & Dexterity
Total DOF	20	20
Arm DOF	3	3
Bimanual Coordination	No	No
Compute & AI
Onboard Compute (values differ)	RM 32位 Cortex-A7 CPU: 900MHz	Intel Atom N2600 @1.6 GHz dual core
VLM Capable	No	No
Foundation Models	false	false
Imitation Learning	No	No
Programming (values differ)	modular programming	code_python, code_ros
Battery & Power
Runtime (values differ)	1 hrs	0.5 hrs
Battery Swap	No	No
Software
SDK Languages (values differ)	Chinese	C++
ROS Support (values differ)	No	Yes
Open API (values differ)	No	Yes
Reliability
Deployment Maturity	commercial	commercial
Commercial
Price (USD) (values differ)	Up to $650 USD	$12,000 USD
Price Tier (values differ)	40-80K	10-20K
Pricing Model	purchase	purchase
Warranty (values differ)	—	1 yrs
Applications (values differ)	娱乐	education, research

Insufficient data for full comparison

The following fields had no data for any of the selected robots: Running Capable, Payload, Payload (Peak), Hand DOF, Arm Reach, Grip Strength, Manipulation Repeatability, Tool Use, Compute Platform, Teleoperation, Battery Capacity, Charging Time, Charging Method, Avg Power Consumption, Force-Limited Arms, Fall Recovery, Fall Detection Response, Emergency Stops, Human Detection Method, Safe Speed Near Humans, Simulation Platforms, Air-Gap Capable, MTBF, Task Success Rate, IP Rating, Noise Level, RaaS / Month, Developer Unit Price, Delivery Lead Time, Production Pilots

best in categoryweakest in categoryvalues differ

ROI Comparison

Same operating assumptions across every robot — the only difference is price. Set your numbers once to see which pays back fastest.

Robots (fleet)

Hours / day

Labor $/hr (USD)

Days / year

Annual labor displaced (per robot): $50,000

Metric	Alpha 1S	Darwin-OP
Investment	$650	$12,000
Payback period	< 1 mo	2.9 mo
Net savings (5 yr)	$249,350	$238,000
ROI (5 yr)	+38362%	+1983%

Estimates labor-cost displacement only — not a full total cost of ownership. Actual ROI depends on integration, maintenance, training, downtime, and task fit. Converted currencies are indicative; USD is the price of record.

Trade-offs at a glance

Frequently asked

Who makes Alpha 1S and Darwin-OP?

Alpha 1S is made by UBTECH Robotics Corp Ltd., based in CN. Darwin-OP is made by ROBOTIS Co., Ltd., based in KR.

When were Alpha 1S and Darwin-OP launched?

Alpha 1S launched in 2013. Darwin-OP launched in 2010.

How do Alpha 1S and Darwin-OP compare on the Robo Index?

Alpha 1S grades BB on the Robo Index. Darwin-OP grades AA. The Robo Index is a credibility grade (AAA … C) that blends commercial maturity, verified deployments, company standing, and independent coverage — see methodology for the full breakdown.

Are Alpha 1S and Darwin-OP in the same category?

Both robots are classified as Humanoid on Robolist. Filters and ranking treat them as direct alternatives.

What is the realistic total cost of ownership for Humanoid robots?

Hardware cost is one input. Humanoid TCO also includes integration, training, downtime, and end-of-life. Our breakdown: Humanoid TCO: Hardware, Cloud Subscriptions, and the Cost of Teleop Time.

What should a buyer ask vendors when choosing between Alpha 1S and Darwin-OP?

Spec sheets only show part of the story. Useful vendor questions cover support, lifecycle, integration cost, and references. We have a buyer-focused checklist: Vendor Selection for Humanoids: The 10 Questions You Must Ask.

Going deeper — picking the right robot

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About this comparison

Alpha 1S vs Darwin-OP compares two robots in the humanoid category. All data is sourced from manufacturer spec sheets, verified deployments, and third-party filings; see our methodology for how the Robo Index is calculated.