Bioloid by Robotis
Bring your Bioloid humanoid back to life
The ROBOTIS Bioloid is built from Dynamixel AX-12 smart servos. Connect its servo chain to a Synthiam-compatible controller and ARCx turns it into a robot you can pose, animate, talk to and program from any web browser, with walking gaits and gestures built by clicking, not coding.
How the Bioloid works with Synthiam. Synthiam does not talk to the Bioloid's own controller. Instead, you connect the robot's AX-12 servo chain to one of the supported EZB controllers below (such as a ROBOTIS OpenCM 9.04 or OpenCR running Synthiam firmware, or an EZ-B v4). ARCx connects to that controller with the Ezb Connection skill, and the Dynamixel Servo Driver makes every AX-12 a normal Synthiam servo. In ARC, the Dynamixel skill does the same. We recommend ARCx.
What is the Bioloid?
Bioloid is ROBOTIS's construction kit for building robots from Dynamixel servos, brackets and frames. The best-known build is the humanoid, which comes in several versions (Types A, B and C in the Bioloid Premium kit), but the same parts also make walking droids, quadrupeds, robot arms and more.
The Bioloid uses Dynamixel AX-12 smart servos. They are not the same as regular hobby servos: AX-12 servos communicate digitally over a bus, where several servos share the same data line, and they need a controller that speaks the Dynamixel protocol. That is exactly what Synthiam's Dynamixel skills do.
Bioloid at a glance
| Type | Servo-based robot kit; humanoid is the classic build |
|---|---|
| Maker | ROBOTIS |
| Servos | Dynamixel AX-12 (AX-12A in current kits) |
| Kit controller | CM-530 in the Bioloid Premium kit (not an EZB) |
| Connection to Synthiam | Through a supported EZB controller (USB or Wi-Fi, depending on the controller) |
| Power | Servo battery or supply; USB is not enough for the servos |
| Synthiam uses it for | Humanoid poses, walking gaits, gestures, voice and AI |
| Website | ROBOTIS store |
Supported controllers
Pick one controller, follow its setup page, then add the Dynamixel skill. Each controller has its own connection method (USB, Wi-Fi or serial).
ROBOTIS OpenCM 9.04
A ROBOTIS controller commonly used with Dynamixel systems. USB at 921,600 baud; AX servos through the OpenCM Expansion Board on UART 2.
ROBOTIS OpenCR
Another ROBOTIS controller for Dynamixel robots, with its own servo power. USB at 921,600 baud; Dynamixel bus on UART 2.
LattePanda
A small Windows computer that can run Synthiam software on the robot itself and connect to Dynamixel hardware. Works with cameras.
EZ-Robot EZ-B v4
A Wi-Fi Synthiam controller that also pairs with a camera for vision features.
EZ-Robot IoTiny
A compact Wi-Fi controller that can also be paired with a camera for vision features.
Arduino Leonardo
A microcontroller option when configured for Dynamixel control with Synthiam firmware.
Want a humanoid that can see? The EZ-B v4, IoTiny and LattePanda can be used with cameras. That adds object tracking, face detection, color tracking and the other computer-vision robot skills, so the Bioloid can look at you, follow a ball or react to faces.
What you can do with a Bioloid in Synthiam
Walking gaits
Create walking, turning and getting-up sequences in Auto Position, and drive the humanoid like a vehicle with the Auto Position movement panel.
Gestures and dances
Lay out poses on a timeline, with sound, in Servo Animation. All the servos in a frame move together in one sync-write packet.
Pose by hand
In Auto Position, press Release, bend the robot into a pose by hand and press Capture to store where the servos actually are. Servo Pad poses joints from the screen.
Voice
Speech recognition and text to speech: say "wave" and the robot waves, or have it answer questions.
Mirror your body
Kinect Body Control copies your arm movements to the robot's servos from a Kinect, depth camera or ordinary webcam.
Servo health
Watch each AX-12's temperature, voltage and load, and release a servo automatically before it overheats.
AX-12 settings in the Dynamixel skill
| Setting | AX-12 |
|---|---|
| Model | AX-12 (protocol 1.0) |
| Factory baud rate | 1000000 (every servo on the chain must match) |
| Position range | 0 to 1023 (1024 steps) |
| IDs | Each servo needs a different ID; any ID can map to any virtual port (V3 can drive ID 17) |
| Wiring | Daisy chain: servo to servo, then to the controller's Dynamixel port |
| Port on the controller | A hardware UART, so positions can be read as well as written |
Connect a Bioloid to ARCx
- Install ARCx on the computer that will run the robot: Download ARCx for Windows, Linux or Raspberry Pi. It is the software that sends commands to your robot, and you use it from any web browser.
- Choose a controller from the list above and follow its page to install the firmware and connect it with the Ezb Connection skill.
- Connect the controller to the Bioloid's AX-12 servo chain. AX-12 servos connect in a daisy chain. Make sure the power and data wiring match the controller's Dynamixel interface.
- Power the servos correctly. AX-12 servos need their own power source, usually more current than USB can provide. If servos twitch, reset or go limp under load, you need a better power supply or battery.
-
Add the Dynamixel Servo Driver. Set the controller's Dynamixel UART and
1000000baud on the Bus tab, press Scan bus on the Tools tab, then add each servo with its ID, the AX-12 model and a virtual port. - Start simple. Test a single servo, confirm its direction and range (use Invert for mirrored limbs), then expand to multiple servos and full-body movements. Once the robot holds a stable standing pose, build gaits and gestures in Auto Position.
Using ARC? Connect the controller with the EZB Connection skill and add the Dynamixel skill. ARC also has Auto Position (Gait) and Kinect Body Control.
Both drive the Bioloid; ARCx is recommended
| ARCx Recommended | ARC | |
|---|---|---|
| Runs on | Windows 10/11 x64, Ubuntu 24.04 x64 and ARM64, including Raspberry Pi 4/5 | Windows |
| User interface | Any web browser, several people at once; closing the browser leaves the robot running | Windows desktop application |
| Dynamixel skill | Dynamixel Servo Driver: telemetry, sync writes, bus tools | Dynamixel |
| Gaits and animation | Auto Position, Auto Position movement panel, Servo Animation | Auto Position (Gait), Auto Position Movement Panel (Gait) |
| AI agents | Built-in MCP server: agents can pose and animate the robot | Through robot skills |
When something does not work
Frequently asked questions
Give your Bioloid a new brain
Choose a controller, install ARCx, and your AX-12 humanoid walks, waves and talks from any web browser.
I just want to say to a great guy named DJ Sures and his friend Jeremy, thank you both. Because ive finally got it to work both Ez4 and the Dymanixel. It's been a long time almost done with school what listening and learning from you guys I think your bottom of my heart. I'm still a student EZ robots still learning easy robots do learning and I hopefully one day to go and teach the kids in my community how to use Easy Builder and its products God bless both of you guys and thank you, Mike.
To DJ and Jeremy, how did you wire both ex4 and the bioloid premium battery?