Elf 3
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Elf 3 is BXI Robotics' full-size bipedal humanoid for embodied-AI research, education and industrial validation. It stands 1.45 m tall at about 38 kg with 31 degrees of freedom excluding hands, runs up to 5 m/s, and is built on BXI's own hollow-shaft planetary joint motors and a PCIe-CANFD control architecture running above 1,000 Hz. It ships as a ready-to-deploy platform with an Intel Core i7 onboard PC and an open ROS 2 and MuJoCo software development kit.
Quick Overview & Key Facts
Elf 3 is a humanoid robot made by BXI Robotics in China, launched in 2026 and built for Embodied-AI research, reinforcement-learning locomotion, and university teaching. Its estimated price is Approx. $40,000 – $60,000 (research edition).
- Dimensions
- Height 1,450 mm; width 450 mm × depth 280 mm
- Weight
- Approx. 38 kg
- Mobility
- Bipedal (legged)
- Top speed
- 5 m/s (about 18 km/h) maximum
- Payload capacity
- Light research payloads up to 5 kg per arm horizontally (10 kg elbow-supported)
- Battery runtime
- Approx. 1 hour of walking
- Charging time
- 1.5–2 hours
- Sensors
- RealSense D435i depth camera, IMU and an 8-microphone array, plus dual absolute encoders on every joint
- Operating environment
- Indoor labs, classrooms and test facilities
What Can Elf 3 Do?
Core operational tasks and activities demonstrated or performed by Elf 3.
Real-World Applications of Elf 3
Industries, working environments, and deployment suitability for Elf 3.
Elf 3 Capabilities
Inherent physical, perceptual, and cognitive abilities built into Elf 3.
Image Gallery
Below images are from BXI Robotics's official sources
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Robot Specifications
Values without a Confirmed badge are compiled from public sources and may not be manufacturer-verified.
Not yet published by BXI Robotics: warranty terms, safety certifications, EMC compliance, IP rating, noise level, expected lifespan, maintenance schedule, firmware version and 7 more.
Robot Timeline
Key milestones in this robot's development and rollout
Elf 3 research humanoid introduced with open ROS 2 / MuJoCo SDK
Production scale-up from tens of units per month toward 100 per month
Elf 3 vs VR-M3, Unitree G1-Comp, RP1 and T1 Standard Humanoid
Elf 3 overlaps with these alternatives on Education and training and Research and development; only Elf 3 is tagged for Assembly and production. Elf 3 leads this group on max speed and payload but trails on runtime and weight.
Industries and capabilities are tags, not scores: a tick means the robot is listed for it. Green marks the best figure in a row (highest max speed, payload and runtime; lowest weight). Ranges are not ranked.
| Spec | Elf 3BXI Robotics | VR-M3VinRobotics | Unitree G1-CompUnitree Robotics | RP1RoboParty | T1 Standard HumanoidBooster Robotics |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Industries | |||||
| Education and training | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Assembly and production | Yes | No | No | No | No |
| Research and development | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Capabilities | |||||
| Running | Yes | No | No | Yes | Yes |
| Whole-body control | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Perception | Yes | Yes | No | No | Yes |
| Stair climbing | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | No |
| Max Speed | 5 m/s | 0.6 m/s | — | 4 m/s | 0.5 m/s |
| Payload | 5 kg | 5 kg | 3 kg | 5 kg | — |
| Runtime | 60 min | — | 120 min | 3 h | 120 min |
| Weight | 38 kg | 60 kg | 35 kg | 39 kg | 30 kg |
| Released | 2026 | 2026 | 2026 | 2026 | 2025 |
Notes such as conditions or alternate figures are left out and values are shown in common units; open each page for the full specs. Browse all Humanoid Robots
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Frequently Asked Questions
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Q1. What is Elf 3, and what problem is it designed to solve?
Elf 3 is BXI Robotics' full-size bipedal humanoid for research and education. It gives universities, labs and robotics companies a ready-to-deploy, open platform so they do not have to build actuators, controllers and a robot body from scratch.
Q2. What are the main capabilities and key features of Elf 3?
Its main features are in-house high-torque joint motors, a very fast control loop, an onboard Intel PC, depth and microphone sensing, and an open ROS 2 and MuJoCo development kit. It can run, climb stairs and recover from pushes.
Q3. Who is Elf 3 built for, and which industries can benefit from it?
It is built for embodied-AI researchers, university robotics courses, industrial validation teams and OEM partners that need a capable biped.
Q4. Is Elf 3 a commercial product or still a research prototype?
It is a commercial research product that customers can order today rather than a lab-only prototype.
Q5. Is Elf 3 currently available for purchase, and when is it expected to ship?
Yes, it is available through BXI Robotics and its store, with pricing quoted on request. BXI is scaling production from tens of units per month.
Q6. How does Elf 3 actually work in real-world environments?
Learned locomotion and whole-body control policies run on the onboard PC and command the joint motors over a high-speed control bus. Developers train policies in simulation and deploy them through the SDK.
Q7. When was Elf 3 announced or officially launched?
BXI introduced Elf 3 in 2026 as the next generation of its Elf humanoid line.
Q8. How is Elf 3 different from other robots in the same category?
It stands out for very high running speed, motors and controllers built in-house, and open software. Many research humanoids rely on third-party actuators or closed stacks.
Q9. Does Elf 3 require additional development or customization after purchase?
Yes. It is a development platform, so users add their own skills, hands and sensors, and BXI supports secondary development and OEM programs.
Q10. What is the future roadmap or planned upgrades for Elf 3?
BXI is expanding production capacity and continues to develop its motors, control modules, UpperBody teleoperation platform and Elf software. A dated Elf roadmap has not been published.
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