Bittle X
2 independent reviewsRead the findings →A palm-sized robot dog you build yourself and use to learn coding, with offline voice commands. It suits curious older children and adults learning how walking robots work. It's a learning kit, not a pet, and building it takes patience.
Updated
Check the manufacturer’s site for current availability.
Where it sits in Petoi’s range
- Petoi BittleOriginal Bittle on the Arduino-compatible NyBoard
- Bittle XThis model
- Nybble QRobot cat with distance-sensing eyes, same system · £326.54
- Petoi QuaddleMini robot dog, crowdfunding in 2026
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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 (tested on the Bittle X (original 2023 kit, before V2)) · Make:, hands-on, Aug 2025 (tested on the Bittle X V2 + Arm (pre-assembled, alloy servos))
What it really does
Reviewers rate it highlyIt does what Petoi says. Digital Trends saw it walk, trot, backflip and respond to a large library of voice commands, though its spoken replies were hard to make out, and Make: found voice recognition accurate enough that it seldom needed the remote.
Staying engaging
Not enough evidenceNeither review we use tested whether it stays engaging over months. Digital Trends says it had barely scratched the surface of what's possible, which suits tinkerers more than casual play.
Who it suits
Reviewers rate it highlyBoth see it as a way into robotics, not a finished toy. Digital Trends says it suits curious children of 10 and over and adults, but not anyone wanting hassle-free play, and Make: calls it an intermediate project and a great starting point.
App, subscription and running costs
Reviewers rate it highlyThere's no subscription, and the software helps. Digital Trends used the app's calibration controls to find and fix its assembly mistakes and built moves with drag-and-drop blocks, while Make: praises the free curriculum and an active online community.
Privacy
Not enough evidenceNeither review we use looked at privacy. Petoi says voice commands are processed on the robot without a network connection, per the specifications.
Build quality and battery life
Reviewers rate it highlyDigital Trends found the high-impact plastic body sturdy and forgiving of its assembly errors, and it rights itself after a fall. Make: picks Bittle as the more durable of Petoi's robots. Neither measured the claimed hour of battery life.
Support and longevity
Not enough evidenceOnly Make: touched on support, and found an active online community usually answered its questions about the hardware documentation.
Value
Not enough evidenceOnly Digital Trends judged value, saying its price is hard to beat for a complete four-legged robot with Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and a remote.
Verdicts come from independent, hands-on, finished reviews. An area needs at least two of them before we say more than “Not enough evidence”. We don't score robots ourselves. How this works
A coding kit first, pet second
Digital Trends says it isn't the right choice for anyone wanting a hassle-free toy, but it's 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 if you want more. Make: describes Petoi's robots as intermediate projects where someone has done the hard development so you can skip to the fun part. It's for learning and tinkering, and 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 showed up 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. Some versions come with metal-geared motors, but 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.
Our take
Should you buy the Bittle X?
Best for: Children aged ten and over, or adults, learning to program a walking robot. Skip it if: You want a finished companion without assembly or troubleshooting.
a good buy for a curious child of ten or over, or an adult who wants to learn how walking robots work and will enjoy building and fixing it. If you want a pet that looks after itself, Sony's aibo is built for that.
Bittle X is Petoi's palm-sized open-source robot dog, the voice-controlled version of the original Bittle with a faster ESP32 board. It comes as a kit or ready-built, understands more than 35 spoken commands without sending your voice anywhere, and you program it with blocks, Python or C++. You choose plastic-geared or tougher metal motors, and there's a version with a small grabbing arm in place of the head.
Both reviewers see it as a way into robotics rather than a toy. Digital Trends built the original kit in a little over an hour, had to redo a few steps, and then used the app's calibration controls to find legs it had fitted at the wrong angle. It found the plastic body sturdy and forgiving, and the robot rights itself after a fall. Make: tested the ready-made V2 with the arm, found voice recognition accurate enough to seldom need the remote, and praises the free curriculum and active community. Digital Trends found the robot's own spoken replies hard to make out. Neither measured the claimed hour of battery life, and it carries very little, so this is for learning and tinkering rather than walks in the park.
Where to buy
Where to buy the Bittle X in United Kingdom
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Before you buy
The questions people ask about this one
Is it a toy, a pet or something for developers?
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 does 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 it 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.
Alternatives
Other robot dogs to compare.
aibo ERS-1000
Why consider it: It's a robot pet first: owners love its autonomous play, ball games and the personality it develops.
The compromise: Many settings depend on Sony's cloud plan, and there's no build-it-yourself coding to learn from.
Loona
Why consider it: Owners love its animated ears and eyes, and the way it wanders and plays on its own.
The compromise: Some owners report leg and wheel faults and mixed support, and it needs charging breaks.
Specs
Full specifications
Each specification names its source. Manufacturer claims are not independent test results; unconfirmed figures are labelled.
Owner reviews
Do you own the Bittle X?
Tell people how it’s held up: cleaning, maintenance, faults and support. Owner accounts are shown separately from independent reviews.
Sources
Where this page’s findings come from
Editorial reviews
- Digital Trends: I built my own robot dog, and you can too ↗Hands-on · Tested on the Bittle X (original 2023 kit, before V2)
- Make:: Petoi Programmable Robot Pets: Reviewed ↗Hands-on · Tested on the Bittle X V2 + Arm (pre-assembled, alloy servos)
Sources
- Petoi: Bittle X Robot Dog product page ↗Manufacturer
Videos
- Search YouTube for Petoi Bittle X ↗Search results may include company demonstrations or similar models. Check the source and model name; a demonstration is not an independent performance test.