Preview of the new Nybble Q from Petoi
Nybble robot gets an upgrade in Nybble Q
Petoi’s Nybble robot is getting an upgrade, the upcoming Nybble Q robot. The release preview of Nybble Q is up on Petoi’s website. Petoi mentions that the new robot will be out for release in Q2 2025, and that is already taking school orders. We were able to get an early access version of Nybble Q from Petoi. This post summarizes our experience after playing with Nybble Q for a week.
A history of Petoi’s robots
First, let’s visit the history of Petoi robots. Nybble was the first robot designed by Petoi founder Rongzhong Li, some of it designed while he was doing his Ph.D. at Wake Forest University. This video summarizes how Nybble was built and works. Nybble is built of a wooden frame, models a pet cat, and supports the original Arduino compatible Nyboard microcontroller.
After releasing Nybble, Petoi used the experience and learnings from Nybble, to build the Bittle robot, modeled after a pet dog. Since then, the Bittle robot has been getting all the hardware research and development updates from Petoi, such as an advanced micro-controller in the form of BiBoard, and built in voice controller (available in the Bittle X robot that supports BiBoard v1). As such, the original Nybble fell behind a bit. Note that software advancements and developments in the OpenCat framework apply to both Nybble and Bittle/Bittle X.
Nybble Q
In this context, Nybble Q is Petoi’s attempt to bring Nybble up to speed with Bittle/Bittle X, and in some ways provide a few distinct features. The main appeal is to users who would really like to own a robotic pet cat, with the same level of hardware functionality and features as the Bittle X robotic dog. You now have an equal choice between owning a robotic cat, or a robotic dog.
Here are some reasons you might want to buy a Nybble Q:
Solid encasing: Nybble Q is made of 3D printed parts and feels solid in your hand. It weighs a good 385 grams and feels solid to grip. Because it is 3D printed, Petoi could technically allow you to print the encasing and parts yourself (Although they likely don’t have this support now). This could be valuable if you break a part… as opposed to other robots where the part must be shipped to you by the manufacturer.
2 extra degrees of freedom: Compared to Bittle (which has 9 degrees of freedom (DoF)), both Nybble robots (the original Nybble and the new Nybble Q) come with 11 degrees of freedom. The extra servos are on the tail, and on the head to make the head move up and down. Nybble also has LED lights on its eyes, which make it look pretty while walking in the dark. Playing with Nybble in the dark has been one of our big adventures in the last week.
Compatibility in all ways with Bittle X. Nybble Q comes with BiBoard V1 which can be attached to a Raspberry Pi. Besides voice activation, you can connect to the BiBoard V1 with Bluetooth, and thereby code with the Petoi app. If you are someone who like a cat, but not a dog… the Nybble Q is the robot for you. If you like both cats and dogs, why not buy both.
On the contrary, if your goal is to assemble and build a robot yourself, the new Nybble Q is not for you. Unlike the Bittle X, Bittle, and Nybble robots, Nybble Q is not sold as a discounted construction kit, with which you can build the robot yourself. This is partly due to the more compact structure. It would be hard to hand-assemble the Nybble Q, although, I am tempted to dis-assemble the current robot I have and re-assemble it. When I got my first Bittle robot, I had a great education and experience putting the robot all together.
If you would like a comparison between different Petoi robots, the following page is a great resource.
Nybble Q and Bittle, side by side
We shot the following video with Nybble Q and Bittle sitting together and listening to my instructions. The robot on your left is the original Bittle (released in 2020), and with a voice module attached to the grove connector of the Nyboard v0. The robot on your right is the new Nybble Q.
If you have some tricks that you would like us to perform on the Nybble Q, definitely add in the comments. Watch for our following posts as we explore more on the Nybble Q.