The Decision Framework
Choosing a research arm involves balancing payload, repeatability, software ecosystem maturity, community size, cost, and lead time. No single arm is best for all labs — the right choice depends on your specific research direction, budget, and timeline.
Head-to-Head Comparison
Franka Panda: gold standard for manipulation research, large paper ecosystem, impedance control, ~$12K–15K. UR5e: industrial quality, broad integrator network, 5kg payload, ~$25K–35K. OpenArm: open-source, 8-DOF, affordable at $5,400, ideal for data collection and imitation learning. xArm: competitive price, good payload, growing research community.
- If budget is primary constraint: OpenArm
- If paper reproducibility matters most: Franka Panda
- If industrial deployment follows: UR5e
- If you need quick iteration: OpenArm (open-source)
What SVRC Recommends
For teams focused on imitation learning and data collection, we recommend OpenArm for its open-source design, 8-DOF configuration, and same-day availability from our Palo Alto facility. For teams needing broader community benchmarks, Franka Panda remains the reference platform.