Bittle X
A palm-sized robot dog you build yourself and teach to code. It walks, flips and obeys spoken commands without the internet, but it's a learning kit, not a pet, and building it takes patience.
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The short version
Bittle X is Petoi's small open-source robot dog, the voice-controlled version of the original Bittle with a faster ESP32 control board. You can buy it as a kit that takes about an hour to build, or ready-made. It walks, trots, sits, does backflips and understands more than 35 spoken commands without sending your voice anywhere. You drive it from a phone app or remote, and program it with blocks, Python or C++. The current version is the V2.
The choices are cheaper plastic-geared motors or tougher metal ones, and whether you want a version with a small grabbing arm in place of the head. The trade-off is scale. It's tiny, carries very little and runs for about an hour. It's built for learning and tinkering, not for walking round the park.
Petoi also makes Nybble Q, a robot cat on the same system.
Our take: Buy Bittle X for a curious child of 10 or over, or an adult who wants to learn how walking robots work, and who'll enjoy building and fixing it. Skip it if you want a robot pet that looks after itself; Sony's aibo is built for that. If you want a big dog that walks outdoors, that's Unitree's Go2 territory, at many times the price.
Where it sits in Petoi’s range
- Petoi BittleOriginal Bittle on the Arduino-compatible NyBoard
- Bittle XThis model
- Petoi Nybble QRobot cat with distance-sensing eyes, same system
- Petoi QuaddleMini robot dog, crowdfunding in 2026
What reviewers found
Two hands-on reviews. Digital Trends built the original Bittle X kit, and Make: used a ready-made Bittle X V2 with the robot arm alongside Petoi's Nybble Q cat. Both liked it as a way into robotics rather than a finished toy. Digital Trends found building and calibrating it fiddly but forgiving, and Make: calls Petoi's robots intermediate projects rather than foolproof products. Voice control impressed both, though Digital Trends found the robot's own speech hard to understand.
Digital Trends, hands-on, Sept 2023 · Make:, hands-on, Aug 2025
A coding kit first, pet second
Digital Trends says it isn't the right choice for anyone wanting a hassle-free toy, but a fun, affordable way to explore robot hardware and software. It built custom move sequences with drag-and-drop blocks, and notes C++ and Python for more. Make: describes Petoi's robots as intermediate projects where someone has done the hard development so you can skip to the fun part. Buy it to learn and tinker. A child who wants something to play with straight away may lose patience.
Building it takes care
Digital Trends took a little over an hour to build the kit. The instructions were reasonably clear, but it had to switch between Bittle X and general guides, and redo a few steps. Wiring was the hardest part in the cramped body. Calibration then revealed legs fitted at the wrong angle and a missed pin, which it fixed with help from the app. Make: had ready-made units and still had to move a servo plug on the cat. Choose the pre-assembled version for younger children.
Voice control works well
Both reviewers were won over by the voice commands. Digital Trends praises the large library of words and the tricks they trigger, such as backflips and handstands, but found the robot's spoken replies hard to make out. Make: found Petoi's voice recognition accurate enough that it seldom reached for the remote, despite some amusing misunderstandings. Petoi says commands are processed on the robot without a network connection, per the specifications.
Tough enough to survive mistakes
Digital Trends found the high-impact plastic body sturdy, and says it flips itself back over after a fall. It was also glad the design forgave its assembly mistakes. Make: suggests Bittle as the more durable pick over the Nybble Q cat, and was surprised by the arm's strength, though it preferred the nimbler version with a head. Metal-geared motors are available on some versions; neither review compares them with the cheaper plastic ones.
Digital Trends tested the original Bittle X kit in 2023; Make tested the current Bittle X V2 with the robot arm, which arrived ready-made.
Prices
Where to buy the Bittle X in Australia
No verified Australia price in the last 7 days. We re-check daily.
We’re still looking for more Australia retailers for this model. Prices shown are read from each seller’s own page.
Before you buy
The questions people ask about this one
Is it a toy, a pet or a development platform?
Mostly a learning platform. Make: calls Petoi's robots intermediate projects rather than foolproof consumer products, and Digital Trends says it isn't a hassle-free toy. It performs tricks and answers voice commands, so it's fun to play with, but it lacks a robot pet's personality.
Can it go outside and up stairs?
Not really. It's palm-sized, walks at about two body lengths a second and carries up to 1lb, per the specifications. Digital Trends says it may not be sturdy enough for real work. Keep it on flat indoor floors or a table.
How long does the battery last?
About an hour of continuous walking, Petoi claims, per the specifications, and Digital Trends quotes the same figure. Petoi doesn't publish the battery size or charging time, so plan on one play or coding session per charge.
Can I program it?
Yes. Digital Trends built custom move sequences with drag-and-drop blocks in the desktop app, and Petoi supports Python and C++ with free lessons, per the specifications. Make: adds that you can fit light, motion or gesture sensors in its mouth, and there's an AI camera module.
Is it suitable for children?
Petoi says it's best for ages 10 and over, with younger children building under adult supervision, per the specifications. Digital Trends thinks it would make a wonderful gift for children interested in science, but its own build needed careful checking and some rework, so younger builders will need help.
Compare with
aibo ERS-1000
It's a robot pet first: owners love its autonomous play, ball games and the personality it develops.
Many settings depend on Sony's cloud plan, and there's no build-it-yourself coding to learn from.
Loona
Owners love its animated ears, eyes and the way it wanders and plays on its own.
Some owners report leg and wheel faults and mixed support, and it needs charging breaks.
Full specifications
Figures come from the manufacturer’s product page unless a source is named. A blank means nobody we trust has confirmed it.
Owner reviews
Own a Bittle X?
Tell people how it’s held up: cleaning, maintenance, faults and support. Owner reviews are shown separately from expert tests and never mixed into the score.
Sources
Everything cited on this page. Expert scores are shown as the reviewer gave them.