Small & Home Robots

Buying advice

Separate what ships now from announcements

Tesla Optimus Gen 2 is the only listing here marked as announced rather than available, which means you are looking at a stated intention rather than a product you can schedule. At the October 2026 check, the Robosen Optimus Prime was the lowest-priced listing here at about $700, while the Tesla Optimus Gen 2 topped the page at about $30,000, and no listing was quote-only. If you register interest in an announced robot, ask whether any payment is refundable and what happens if the specification changes before delivery. Plan lessons, office set-ups or displays around a robot you can actually receive, and treat the announced model as a later option.

Check who answers for safety in Europe

Small robots bought for homes, schools and offices usually count as consumer products. In the EU, Regulation (EU) 2023/988 on general product safety applies to consumer products sold online as well as in shops, and it expects a responsible economic operator in the EU, traceability details and safety information in a language you can read. Ask for those details before you order, particularly for robots shipped from outside the EU. ANSI/CAN/UL 3300:2025 covers service, education and entertainment robots used around consumers but excludes toy robots, so ask which safety standard each product was tested to and whether it is classed as a toy, a collectible or equipment.

Ask how long the apps will be supported

A small robot is often run through a phone app, a desktop tool or a cloud account, and it becomes far less useful if that software stops being updated. Ask each maker how long it commits to app and firmware support, whether the robot works offline, and whether open tools can drive it if the official software is withdrawn. For the Double 3, ask whether accounts belong to your organisation or to individual users, so access can be removed when staff move on. Check whether the warranty covers drops and daily handling by students, and where repairs are carried out.

What to look for

• Size, weight and whether it is built for programming, display or everyday help
• Battery life and charging against the hours you expect it to run
• For telepresence, camera quality, screen size and how remote users sign in

Common questions

Is the Double 3 a humanoid?

No. Double 3 is a telepresence robot that lets a remote person move around a space and talk through a screen. It is listed alongside humanoids on the THG Marketplace, so you'll find it here too.

Are small humanoids suitable for teaching?

Small programmable humanoids such as the Darwin OP3 are a common choice for teaching robotics because they are light and easy to handle. Collectibles like Robosen's Optimus Prime are built for entertainment instead.

Sources and further reading

• Regulation (EU) 2023/988 on general product safety — EUR-Lex, Publications Office of the European Union.
  EU safety rules for consumer products, including those sold online, which apply to many small and home robots.
• ANSI/CAN/UL 3300:2025 Service, Communication, Information, Education and Entertainment Robots (SCIEE Robots) — UL Standards & Engagement, listed by the Standards Council of Canada.
  Safety standard for education, entertainment and service robots used near consumers; toy robots are excluded.