Developing Polkadot Humanoid Robot SDK at Cyberpunk Lab

Cyberpunk Lab is a bold initiative to push the boundaries of humanoid robotics, artificial intelligence, and decentralized technologies. With multiple locations including in San Francisco (California) and Shenzhen (China) confirmed, this cutting-edge research lab will serve as a launchpad for a Polkadot Humanoid Robot SDK that seamlessly integrates humanoid robots with Polkadot Cloud.

The discussion was opened last week on the Polkadot Forum:

https://forum.polkadot.network/t/developing-polkadot-humanoid-robot-sdk-at-cyberpunk-lab/12319

We spoke about our proposal on The Kus's AAG #220:

https://www.youtube.com/live/Zu3drohTilM?si=-JhKDg4yWAh5LInP&t=1702

1. Executive Summary

We are robotics engineers from the Robonomics team. We build trustless physical infrastructure — including RISC-V open hardware, peer-to-peer connectivity, and a Polkadot-based Rollup for IoT and Robotics since Jan'2022.

We are exploring the capabilities of humanoid robots since December 2024 when a Unitree G1 humanoid robot named Turbo became a part of our team. On January 9, 2025, at CES in Las Vegas, Turbo became the first humanoid robot to ever earn money — and it was in $XRT, the native token of our Polkadot rollup:

https://x.com/AIRA_Robonomics/status/1877326334516482452

Humanoid robots are projected to outnumber humans within the next couple of decades with reports claiming a $24 Trillion dollar market opportunity. These machines will work alongside people in factories/warehouses, public spaces and in our homes—handling tasks from lifting boxes to assisting the elderly. And complex robotics systems like humanoids require extensive cloud infrastructure, encompassing computation, digital twins, identity solutions, and file storage. But most current robots rely on centralized clouds for commands and updates, which introduces latency, downtime risks, and security vulnerabilities.

Decentralized systems solve this by enabling robots to communicate peer-to-peer, using cryptography for fast and secure messaging and blockchains to bundle commands, sensor data, and payments into a single tamper-proof transaction. A practical example: a service robot could receive a task, verify the requester’s identity, get paid, and report completion—all without ever needing a central server. This isn’t just faster and safer—it’s the only way to scale when billions of robots are operating in real time across the globe.

Humanoid robots are ideal for showcasing Polkadot's technological capabilities. And quite possibly humanoid robots will be the largest blockspace consumers .

Polkadot is currently the best technology stack for building Web3 applications for Robotics and IoT, thanks to its unique combination of flexible application development with Polkadot SDK (we were able to enable IoT subscriptions not possible otherwise), a shared security ecosystem, and the upcoming Polkadot 2.0 enhancements (elastic scaling, asynchronous backing and agile coretime) first introduced at Spammening.

By combining the most advanced robots with the power of Polkadot Cloud, we are pioneering a framework that enables secure, autonomous, and trustless machine interactions. The lab will serve as a proving ground, where researchers, artists, and developers co-create, test, and validate real-world applications, setting the stage for the next wave of technological evolution. With the rapid development pace in humanoid robotics, we aim to define the place of Polkadot as a market leader in this space and bring a set of complementary benefits to the community.

This initiative will amplify Polkadot’s reputation, utility, and leadership in new technological frontiers, delivering long-term value to the network and its stakeholders.

Why This Matters for Polkadot?

🔹 Showcasing Polkadot’s Technological Range Cyberpunk Lab will serve as a high-profile demonstration of Polkadot’s ability to support real-world, high-stakes applications beyond traditional blockchain use cases. A humanoid robot executing tasks on-chain is a breakthrough moment—one that positions Polkadot as a leader in the convergence of blockchain and robotics, attracting global attention, media coverage, and industry partnerships.

🔹 Driving Network Utility and Adoption By enabling robots to interact with Polkadot—executing transactions, sharing telemetry data, and receiving commands—this project creates an entirely new class of network participants: autonomous intelligent robot agents (AIRAs). As adoption scales, Polkadot will experience increased transaction volumes and organic expansion into IoT and robotics, reinforcing its position as the backbone for machine-to-machine economies.

🔹 Expanding the Developer Community The Humanoid Robot SDK will serve as a gateway for robotics developers to enter the Polkadot ecosystem—developers who may never have engaged with Polkadot Cloud otherwise. By providing streamlined tools and clear documentation, we lower the entry barrier, fostering an influx of fresh talent, innovation, and new commercial opportunities, including potential partnerships with robotics companies.

🔹 Strengthening Decentralization & Security for IoT/Robotics Polkadot’s multi-chain architecture, shared security, and on-chain governance provide a resilient foundation for humanoid robots to coordinate, operate, and evolve autonomously. This project will set a new standard for decentralized infrastructure in IoT and robotics, reinforcing Polkadot as the go-to platform for secure, scalable, and trustless machine communication.

🔹 A Living Example of Open Governance Cyberpunk Lab is not just funded through Polkadot’s OpenGov—it is a showcase of transparent, community-driven governance in action. From on-chain progress reports from robots directly to community-driven decision-making on behaviour training, we aim to involve the community in our work to directly shape the future of autonomous labor.

2. Objectives and Key Results

100+ independent SDK installations by robotics development teams

Support 10+ Polkadot Rollups Use Cases tailored for various humanoid robots (we will use rollup functions that will best suit these: Telemetry, Identity, Computing, Payments, DeFi and RWA Integration).

10+ AI models tested with reproducible how-to guides

Organize 3 art performances across music, visual arts, and performance art

Publish 2 scientific papers exploring Polkadot Cloud use cases for the rise of humanoid robotics

Launch an educational program to train 25+ students in partnership with universities in the US, Europe, Asia, and Latin America

Host 6–12 robotics meetups in San Francisco and Shenzhen

Attract 5,000+ visitors to our physical locations

Present humanoid robot use cases at 5+ Polkadot conferences

Reach 1M+ views across social media platforms

3. Activities

Develop the Humanoid Robot SDK : We will create an open-source Software Development Kit (SDK) enabling humanoid robots to connect to the Polkadot Cloud. The SDK will include libraries and APIs for robot control commands, telemetry data exchange, on-chain identity management, and secure transaction signing from within a robot’s software. Designed to be Polkadot-native—compatible with parachains and runtime modules—and robot-agnostic, the SDK will support a range of humanoid platforms including open-source and commercial systems. The SDK is a foundational step toward making robots autonomous economic agents. For example, you pay a robot to bring you a drink by sending it a single transaction. This marks a breakthrough moment for Web3: real-world robotics driven by decentralized infrastructure. It positions Polkadot at the forefront of blockchain’s convergence with AI and robotics, generating media coverage, global attention, and industry engagement.

AI Model Testing : The lab will support experimentation with the latest AI methods on real humanoid robots, like deep reinforcement learning and imitation learning, the two most common approaches now. There is a miriad of approaches researchers try now to quickly teach humanoid robots new skills (continual learning, multi-modal learning, large behavior models, vision-language-action pipelines, diffusion-based planning, internal world models, and sim2real transfer techniques) and our goal is to offer a set of hardware where researchers can test and benchmark their models on. Polkadot’s infrastructure will be used to enable remote access, transparent storage of training data, and auditable performance benchmarking, opening a new frontier for reproducible robotics research.

Robotics Experiential Arts : We will also push the boundary of robotics in the arts, showcasing humanoid robots as performers and creators within the Polkadot ecosystem. This includes robot-led painting, music, theater, dance, and interactive exhibitions, both physical and in mixed or virtual reality. We draw inspiration from existing work such as a retired KUKA arm reimagined as a painter, collaborations with Boston Dynamics' Spot for NFT art, and robotic telescopes livestreamed from Chile. These experiences will blend culture and code, highlighting the expressive power of robots as agents in Web3.

Research on Robotics Deliberation : We will explore the design of autonomous robotic agents that set goals, plan with uncertainty, evaluate consequences, adapt strategies, and model their environments in real time. This includes developing the concept of economically autonomous robots that operate inside the Polkadot ecosystem—making independent decisions based on market signals, optimizing for incentives, and reducing reliance on centralized control. These robots will serve as a testbed for long-term research on decentralized AI coordination.

Documentation and Demos : Comprehensive documentation will cover everything from SDK architecture and APIs to integration guides and example applications. To illustrate real-world applications, we will develop at least two demo scenarios: one where a humanoid robot acts as a delivery agent, receiving on-chain payment to fetch an item; and another where a robot attends an event based on a DAO vote, acting as a telepresence avatar. These use cases are both functional prototypes and public showcases, highlighting the potential of combining robotics with decentralized coordination. All results, code, and findings will be openly published. The Cyberpunk Lab is not only funded through OpenGov—it becomes a living demonstration of community-driven governance. On-chain progress reports signed directly by robots will reflect transparent development and serve as a case study in how Web3 can support ambitious, real-world R&D.

Sourcing Open-Source Contributions : Development will be fully public and participatory from day one. The SDK repository will be open-sourced immediately, with regular updates, community feedback loops, and technical livestreams to document progress. We will organize workshops, hackathons, and developer challenges to foster grassroots adoption and expand the contributor base. The goal is not just to deliver code but to build a living, evolving developer ecosystem. The SDK will serve as an entry point for robotics developers—many of whom have never engaged with Web3—to explore the Polkadot stack. By offering clear documentation and streamlined tooling, we lower the barrier and attract fresh talent, spark innovation, and open doors to new commercial collaborations with robotics companies.

Community Engagement : Public-facing initiatives will include livestreams, lab tours, and open forums. A dedicated robotics-themed floor in a 16-story “vertical village” in San Francisco will serve as the physical home of the Cyberpunk Lab, creating an immersive environment for visitors, students, and collaborators. These efforts aim to build a strong, visible, and engaged community around humanoid robotics and Polkadot—one that bridges technical innovation with cultural imagination. We will also colaborate closely with the BitRobot's Lab in China to share equipment, community and knowledge.

4. Budget

We request funding to cover the 1-year project duration of building a Polkadot Humanoid Robot SDK , including personnel, equipment, and lab necessary expenses.

The total budget the Cyberpunk Lab requests from the treasury is $618,000 , with $250,000 allocated for hardware procurement and $368,000 for operating expenses.

This lab is developed in partnership with BitRobot Network that will match the funding with an additional $250,000 for hardware and will be covering their own expenses.

Hardware Procurement ($500k total, including $250k from Polkadot Treasury and $250k from BitRobot):

Exact hardware is subject to change as robotics market is evolving quickly and new players enter the market rapidly. We already own 1 Unitree G1 humanoid and Boston Dynamics Spot robodog that we start Cyberpunk Lab with. We plan to focus on promising brands that have the best GTM strategy, cost-value parameters and technical readiness. These robots are in the short list to be added to the Cyberpunk Lab:

• Humanoid Robot Unitree G1

• Humanoid Robot Fourier GR-2

• Humanoid Robot Enchanted Tools Mirokaï

• Humanoid Robot 1x Technologies NEO

• Additional Hardware and Components: $30,000, including:

  • Computing Units and Sensors: ~$20,000 – High-performance computing hardware for the robot and development.
  • Tools & Miscellaneous Hardware: ~$10,000 – Tools for assembly and testing (electronics tools, 3D printer or printed parts, replacement components), as well as any other accessories needed during development (cables, mounts, etc.). This also acts as a small contingency for hardware repairs or upgrades over the project life.

Operating Expenses ($368,000):

• Salaries: $348,000

Personnel (Salaries) – We have a team of 6 ready to deliver on the project for 12 months. This category is the largest cost, reflecting the intensive R&D effort proposed.

• • SF Lab Executive - 6.500/month
  • Software Architect - 4.500/month
  • Scientific Administrator - 4.500/month
  • Robotics Researcher - 4.500/month
  • Robotics Operations - 5.000/month
  • Rust developer (6 months) - 8,000/month

• Software & Cloud Services – $20,000: While the software developed will be mostly custom and open-source, we account for any external services needed. This includes possible cloud server costs for hosting test networks or simulations, paid licenses or APIs (if needed for robot simulation environments or special libraries), and continuous integration infrastructure for the project. For example, using a cloud robotics simulation service or extra storage for on-chain data logging during tests might incur costs.

• Marketing & Events – we will host regular meetups and events around Cyberpunk Lab as a part of our normal activity, but we will also be working with Events and Marketing bounties to promote the Cyberpunk Lab activities for a broader audience

5. Timeline

The Cyberpunk Lab will be launched in 2025 and will operate for at least 12 months. Polkadot Humanoid Robot SDK will be built and tested in this time. Our goal is to establish a business model around hardware renting and a large enough community around it that will allow us to maintain the Cyberpunk Lab in operation in perpetuity.

The Polkadot Humanoid Robot SDK will provide robotics developers with a set of tools and libraries for:

1. Telemetry
2. Identity
3. Computing
4. Payments
5. DeFi and RWA Integration

We are have identified these projects now to engage with, but will pick the final partners as we proceed with the SDK development:

Asset Hub, Hydration, Polkadot Pay, Acurast, Phala, Crust, Frequency, KILT, and Robonomics.

The project timeline includes the following key milestones:

• Month 1-3: Procurement, setup, researchers’ work, and first demos. Telemetry Module of SDK - Securely transmitting robot telemetry data on Web3 platforms and storing it in distributed storage.
• Month 4-6: Multiple permanent location available for experience. Identity and Compute Modules of SDK. Establishing unique digital identities for humanoid robots on the Polkadot network. Utilizing distributed computing resources on the Polkadot network for AI processing and complex calculations.
• Month 7-9: Benchmarking all new ML models on our hardware to become the credible source of truth on humanoid training. Payments to robots happening both online and in our physical locations, Polkadot Pay module of SDK. Gaming and social media collaborations. Integrating robots into the cryptoeconomy, enabling them to autonomously conduct transactions, facilitating secure and transparent payments between humans and robots using stablecoins.
• Month 10-12: RWA and finanincing of humanoids - an novel asset class on Polkadot. DeFi/robocorp module of SDK. Exploring the integration of decentralized finance (DeFi) and real-world assets (RWA) with humanoid robots, enabling new business models and applications to finance hardware. A Version 1.0 Polkadot Humanoid Robot SDK that robotics developers can start using to access Polkadot Cloud.

Polkadot ecosystem has teams working on all aspects of this SDK and we have already worked with most of them. We will test the functionality of all modules on the physical hardware from the most commonly used humanoid robot brands.

The Cyberpunk Lab represents a unique opportunity to advance the field of robotics and Web3 integration. By developing a Polkadot Humanoid Robot SDK, this initiative will foster innovation, collaboration, and the creation of new applications that benefit our community and society at large. The project team is confident that the Cyberpunk Lab will make a significant contribution to the robotics and Web3 communities, paving the way for a future where robots and humans coexist and collaborate in decentralized ecosystems.