Curated vendor list for actually building a robot — robotics parts, NVIDIA Jetson + Raspberry Pi
boards, LIDAR + depth cameras + IMUs, ML workstations, memory + storage, batteries, industrial
fabrication. Specialty vendors included, not just the big-box defaults.
174 vendors across 14 categories.
Last curated: 2026-07-02.
Maker-tier Pi/Jetson, IMU breakout boards, NeoPixels, CircuitPython ecosystem
Excellent docs + community libraries. Reliable US shipping. NYC-based, open source.
Single-Board Computers + NVIDIA Jetson (Pi, Orin, Nano, Xavier)
LIDAR, depth cameras, IMU, encoders, force/torque
Generalist electronics distributors (resistors, ICs, connectors)
Robot kits, chassis, complete platforms
Linear actuators, grippers, end effectors, soft robotics
Qwiic I²C ecosystem, ublox GPS modules, Edge AI carrier boards
Boulder, CO. Strong on GNSS / RTK GPS for outdoor robotics.
Tier-1 source for DC gearmotors, motor drivers, DC-DC converters, encoders
Las Vegas. Best US source for sub-$500 servo + motor builds. Excellent specs disclosure.
Motors, servos, gear reducers, drivetrain
LIDAR, depth cameras, IMU, encoders, force/torque
Generalist electronics distributors (resistors, ICs, connectors)
LiPo/Li-ion batteries, BMS, DC-DC converters, industrial power
Linear actuators, grippers, end effectors, soft robotics
Largest US-based electronics distributor, deep parametric search
Thief River Falls, MN. The default for any IC / connector / passive you can't find elsewhere.
Generalist electronics distributors (resistors, ICs, connectors)
LIDAR, depth cameras, IMU, encoders, force/torque
Connectors, cables, harnesses
SD cards, eMMC, industrial SSDs, NVMe
LiPo/Li-ion batteries, BMS, DC-DC converters, industrial power
Authorized distributor of 1,200+ manufacturers, fast small-quantity ordering
Texas-based. Often beats DigiKey on niche manufacturer parts; check both.
Generalist electronics distributors (resistors, ICs, connectors)
LIDAR, depth cameras, IMU, encoders, force/torque
Connectors, cables, harnesses
SD cards, eMMC, industrial SSDs, NVMe
LiPo/Li-ion batteries, BMS, DC-DC converters, industrial power
Enterprise-grade distributor, ODM design support
For Jetson production volume + design-in support, Arrow is who NVIDIA's partner program routes through.
Raspberry Pi authorized distributor, BeagleBone, MicroChip dev kits
Part of Avnet. Strong on UK-origin SBCs; often has Pi 5 stock when others don't.
Retail US — walk in and buy Pi 5, Jetson Nano, RTX cards, NVMe SSDs same-day
Major-metro stores only (25 US locations). Lowest in-stock prices on consumer GPUs.
UK Raspberry Pi specialist, HAT ecosystem, deep Pi cases/cooling selection
Cambridge-area. Best UK Pi 5 source; ships globally.
Single-Board Computers + NVIDIA Jetson (Pi, Orin, Nano, Xavier)
Robot kits, chassis, complete platforms
LIDAR, depth cameras, IMU, encoders, force/torque
Generalist electronics distributors (resistors, ICs, connectors)
Sheffield UK. Original maker of Pirate Audio, Inky e-paper, beautiful enclosures
Premium maker aesthetic. Pi 5 HATs and cases that look like actual products.
Pre-assembled Pi starter kits with PSU + case + microSD
Best for absolute beginners. Avoid for serious builds — pay for the convenience.
Pi kits, retro-gaming bundles, BeagleBone alternatives
Direct US shipping. Less premium than Pi Hut but cheaper.
Shenzhen-based, Grove I²C ecosystem, ReSpeaker mic arrays, ReComputer Jetson carrier
Huge catalog. Fusion PCB service is among the cheapest fast-turn PCB fabs. Long ship times to US.
Single-Board Computers + NVIDIA Jetson (Pi, Orin, Nano, Xavier)
LIDAR, depth cameras, IMU, encoders, force/torque
Generalist electronics distributors (resistors, ICs, connectors)
Robot kits, chassis, complete platforms
Industrial + machine-vision cameras + ROS-ready
German distributor, strong on EU/UK hobbyist parts at lower prices than DigiKey EU
Sande, Germany. Default for EU builders. English UI available.
Generalist electronics distributors (resistors, ICs, connectors)
Single-Board Computers + NVIDIA Jetson (Pi, Orin, Nano, Xavier)
LIDAR, depth cameras, IMU, encoders, force/torque
LiPo/Li-ion batteries, BMS, DC-DC converters, industrial power
Connectors, cables, harnesses
Polish/EU electronics distributor with deep industrial parts catalog
Łódź, Poland. EU's answer to DigiKey for production sourcing.
Generalist electronics distributors (resistors, ICs, connectors)
Connectors, cables, harnesses
SD cards, eMMC, industrial SSDs, NVMe
LiPo/Li-ion batteries, BMS, DC-DC converters, industrial power
Sister company to JLCPCB; component sourcing integrated with PCB assembly
Use with JLCPCB for full PCB-with-parts assembly. Quality variable on no-name parts.
Dynamixel smart servos — daisy-chain serial bus, position+torque control
Korean parent; US distributor in CA. Standard for university research arms (e.g. OpenManipulator-X).
Actobotics structural ecosystem — channels, hubs, gears, brackets all consistent dimension
Winfield KS. Pairs perfectly with HiTec servos. Best US source for educational/competition robot frames.
Motors, servos, gear reducers, drivetrain
Aluminum extrusion, brackets, structural mechanical
Robot kits, chassis, complete platforms
Linear actuators, grippers, end effectors, soft robotics
RC-style servos for robotics arms, gimbals, walkers
Solid build quality. Less exotic than Dynamixel; cheaper for prototyping.
Largest robotics aggregator-reseller in North America
Quebec/US/EU warehouses. One-stop convenience; check direct manufacturers for better unit prices.
Single-Board Computers + NVIDIA Jetson (Pi, Orin, Nano, Xavier)
Motors, servos, gear reducers, drivetrain
LIDAR, depth cameras, IMU, encoders, force/torque
Robot kits, chassis, complete platforms
Industrial + machine-vision cameras + ROS-ready
Manipulator arms (PincherX, WidowX), Interbotix line, ROS-ready packages
Wabasha MN. The arm to buy when you want plug-and-play ROS 2 + MoveIt.
FIRST robotics competition parts — gearboxes, wheels, swerve drives, COTS arms
Kokomo IN. Where FRC teams source drivetrains. Quality + durability optimized for shoves.
Motors, servos, gear reducers, drivetrain
Aluminum extrusion, brackets, structural mechanical
Robot kits, chassis, complete platforms
LiPo/Li-ion batteries, BMS, DC-DC converters, industrial power
VEX IQ + VEX V5 educational ecosystem
Texas-based. Self-contained ecosystem; great for K-12 but not ROS-compatible without bridging.
V-slot aluminum extrusion, CNC parts, lead-screw linear actuators
Open hardware. Mid-Atlantic US. Pairs with grbl for hobbyist CNC + linear motion.
Industrial aluminum extrusion (HFS profile), precision bearings, configurable parts
Japanese parent. Default for production-grade machine frames; superior tolerances vs OpenBuilds.
Industrial supply MRO — fasteners, bearings, tubing, raw stock, machine tools
Famous fast website. Same-day shipping from regional warehouses. The mechanical engineer's go-to.
Swiss precision DC + brushless motors, Mars-rover-grade
Highest-performance compact motors money buys. Used on Mars rovers literally. Configure-to-order.
German micro-motors, coreless DC, ironless rotor — medical and aerospace
Schönaich Germany. The competing premium to Maxon. Distributed via MicroMo in US.
Japanese 2D LIDAR — URG, UST, UTM series. Workhorse of indoor SLAM
Distributed in US via Acroname. URG-04LX-UG01 is the entry indoor scanner.
Multi-beam 3D LIDAR (OS0 / OS1 / OS2), digital flash architecture
San Francisco. Merged with Velodyne 2023. Mid/high-end autonomous vehicle LIDAR.
OAK-D depth cameras with on-board Movidius VPU, $200-600 range
Open-source firmware. Replaced Intel RealSense as the hobbyist depth-cam standard.
ZED 2 / ZED X — high-res stereo depth + IMU + neural depth
San Francisco / Paris. Premium pricing. ROS 2 wrapper is solid.
Astra series structured-light + ToF depth cameras
Chinese manufacturer. ROS 2 packages exist. Cheaper than ZED, less robust outdoors.
Industrial machine-vision cameras: ace 2, dart, pulse — USB3, GigE
Ahrensburg Germany. The default for production machine vision; pylon SDK is well-supported.
Thermal cameras (Lepton, Boson) + industrial machine vision (Spinnaker/Blackfly)
Defense contractor parent. ITAR considerations on higher-end thermal. Lepton 3.5 is hobbyist-accessible.
D435, D455, T265 — depth + tracking cameras
Intel discontinued the line in 2021; Acroname operates parts inventory. EOL — Luxonis OAK-D is the replacement.
IMU manufacturer — BMI160, BMI270, BMP environmental sensors
Buy via DigiKey/Mouser. The dominant IMU silicon on hobbyist/commercial boards.
MPU-6050, ICM-20948, ICM-42688 — the IMU sequence everyone has used
Now TDK subsidiary. Buy via distributors. ICM-42688 is the current best-in-class consumer IMU.
Jetson Orin/Xavier carrier boards — Boson, Photon, Rogue X
Ontario, Canada. Where you go when the DevKit carrier doesn't fit your enclosure.
Open-source hardware design, Jetson + Versal AI carrier boards
Poznań Poland. Open hardware. Excellent for design-in / OEM platforms.
Edge-AI carrier boards for Jetson + AGX Orin systems-on-module
Taiwan parent, global presence. NVIDIA elite partner.
Industrial PCs, ROS-2-friendly Industrial GPU, Jetson Orin DSBC platforms
Taiwan/global. AVA Series PCs are popular for AMR/AGV builds.
UP Squared, BOXER fanless PCs, Jetson Nano dev boards (UP AI Edge)
Asus subsidiary. UP Squared is a Linux x86 alternative to Pi for serious work.
Fanless ruggedized industrial computers, -40°C to 70°C operation
Taiwanese. Workhorse for harsh-environment robotics (outdoor, vehicle).
Pre-built ML workstations + GPU servers, RTX 4090/A6000/H100
San Francisco. The default ML rig builder. Lambda Cloud also rents GPU time.
Custom workstations with thoroughly tested config + 3-year warranty
Auburn WA. Their hardware-bottleneck articles are required reading before any ML build.
Multi-GPU ML workstations + servers, RTX 6000 Ada, H100 builds
Often cheaper than Lambda for similar configs. Strong NVLink expertise.
Enterprise ML servers, NVIDIA DGX reseller, custom liquid-cooled rigs
Fremont CA. Where universities buy 8-GPU servers.
Linux-only workstations and laptops, Pop!_OS, open-firmware Thelio
Denver. Open-firmware Thelio Mega supports up to 4 RTX 4090. Open-source down to the case design.
Industrial microSD (High Endurance), Extreme Pro, NVMe SSDs
Buy SanDisk Extreme PRO for Pi/Jetson — survives more write cycles than consumer-grade.
DRAM, NVMe SSDs (980 Pro, 990 Pro), eMMC modules
990 Pro is the current ML-workstation SSD standard.
DDR5 ECC for workstations, microSD, USB drives, NVMe
Fountain Valley CA. Best for ECC RAM upgrades on workstation motherboards.
DDR5, NVMe T700/T705, system-compatible memory configurator
Micron consumer brand. Configurator is rare-good — pick your motherboard, see compatible kits.
Industrial-grade SSDs, mSATA, eMMC modules — wide temperature range
Taiwan. The brand that goes inside cincoze/ADLINK industrial PCs.
Security-hardened industrial flash (iSLC mode), automotive-grade
Bronschhofen Switzerland. Used in defense + medical embedded applications.
Industrial DRAM + SSDs, ECC enabled, long product lifecycle
Taiwan. Where you go for memory that survives 7+ years deployed.
LiPo batteries, RC ESCs, brushless outrunners
Hong Kong + US warehouses. Where drone hobbyists buy. Quality variable; check reviews.
Premium LiPo packs, drone + RC applications, 4S-12S configurations
Best Chinese LiPo brand for cycle life. Use for outdoor rover builds.
Military-grade rechargeable batteries, BB-2590 standard
Commack NY. Defense customer base. ITAR considerations apply.
LFP (LiFePO₄) cells — safer chemistry, longer cycle life vs LiPo
Used in EV/industrial. Build your own pack for safer indoor robotics.
Industrial connectors (DIN rail terminal blocks), industrial Ethernet, automation
Blomberg Germany. The industrial-electronics standard.
Fast-turn PCB fab + assembly (PCBA), $2 board minimum, 24-48hr turnaround
Shenzhen. Combine with LCSC for full assembled PCBs at unbeatable prices for small batches.
US-based PCB fab — purple boards, 3-board minimum, great for prototypes
Portland OR. Slower than JLC but no overseas shipping; popular for open-hardware projects.
MK4S + XL FDM 3D printers, top-tier reliability
Prague. Open-source kit option. Industry standard for in-house FDM.
Fast multi-color FDM printers (X1C, P1S, A1) with AMS automatic multi-material unit
Currently the fastest path from CAD to part. Closed-source cloud dependency is a concern.
Desktop SLA resin printers, Form 4 — high-resolution functional parts
Somerville MA. Use for end-effector parts that need finer surface finish than FDM.
Continuous-fiber composite printing (carbon fiber, Kevlar), metal X (metal printing)
Watertown MA. Production-grade functional parts. ~$5K-15K printer range.
Compact CNC mills (PCNC 440, 1100), lathes — production-capable in a small shop
Madison WI. Where 'makerspace' becomes 'production machinist'.
Japanese parent of Misumi USA, configurable mechanical components
Use Misumi USA from the US; this is the Japanese parent for reference.
Pi-tested industrial-grade microSD bundles
Quick reference for Pi-Approved SanDisk endurance cards.
Jetson Orin/AGX carriers · GMSL2 · ruggedized
German carrier-board specialist for embedded/edge.
Jetson carriers · boxed edge PCs · multi-camera boards
Supports the full Jetson line incl. AGX Thor.
ARM SBCs · Jetson/RK carriers · edge AI boxes
Broad Rockchip + Jetson board/module lineup.
Rock SBCs · CM alternatives · Pi-class boards
Popular Raspberry Pi / CM4 alternative boards.
ODROID SBCs · eMMC modules · cluster boards
Korea-based long-standing SBC maker.
NanoPi/NanoPC SBCs · RK carriers
Compact ARM boards for embedded robotics.
BeagleBone/AI-64 SBCs · real-time PRU boards
Open-hardware SBCs with strong Linux/ROS support.
Tracked/wheeled platforms · gearmotors · mecanum wheels
Full mechanical parts catalog + custom builds.
Competition/education kits · controllers · IMUs
Education & FIRST/VEX-style competition focus.
mBot kits · metal beams/brackets · STEM bundles
Widely used K-12 platform with its own extrusion.
ROS robot kits · serial-bus servos · RPLIDAR bundles
Quadruped/arm/rover kits + discrete servos & lidar.
myCobot desktop arms · mechanical arm kits
Affordable 6-DOF cobots for research/education.
Jetson/Pi AI rover kits · ROS car platforms
Open-source AI/robot kits with lidar & vision.
Humanoid/education robots · servo kits
Consumer & STEM humanoid platforms.
micro:bit robots · Robotbit · maker kits
Micro:bit-centric education robotics.
Jetson/Pi kits · lidar · education bundles
India-based multi-brand robotics reseller.
Motor drivers · Maker boards · SEA distribution
Malaysia/SEA hub; DFRobot & Pololu distributor.
Broad maker/robotics catalog · Pi & Arduino
Poland-based; very wide EU inventory.
Arduino/Pi kits · sensors · DIY modules
India-based maker/robotics store.
Steppers · closed-loop servos · drivers · gearboxes
Extremely popular value motor/driver source.
Stepper/BLDC systems · actuators · gearheads
Japan-origin; 50k+ motion-control SKUs.
BLDC/stepper motors · integrated drives
German precision-motion manufacturer.
Frameless & planetary gear motors · QDD actuators
Popular for legged-robot QDD joints.
RMD QDD actuators · integrated joint motors
Widely used in DIY quadrupeds/humanoids.
Smart servos · arm/quad kits · brackets
Long-standing hobby-robotics servo/kit brand.
RPLIDAR 2D scanners · SLAM kits
De-facto standard hobby/research 2D lidar.
Mid-360/Avia 3D lidar · robotics FOV units
Affordable 3D lidar widely used in mobile robots.
Solid-state & mechanical 3D lidar
Automotive-grade lidar for robotics.
TF-series ToF rangefinders · single-point lidar
Cheap distance sensors + scanning lidar.
4D lidar (L1/L2) · quadruped platforms
Sells its lidar modules separately from robots.
Industrial/tactical IMU/AHRS/INS modules
High-quality inertial nav for robots/UAVs.
MTi IMU/AHRS modules · motion sensing
Industry-standard IMUs.
Optical encoders · kit encoders · inclinometers
Encoders for wheel odometry & joints.
GigE/USB3/MIPI industrial cameras · embedded
German machine-vision camera maker.
Compact industrial & scientific cameras
Small-form USB3/PCIe cameras for robots.
uEye industrial cameras · embedded vision
German GigE/USB3 machine-vision cameras.
GigE/ToF factory cameras · Helios 3D
Machine-vision incl. ToF depth cameras.
Pi/Jetson camera modules · MIPI/GMSL · ToF
Huge range of embedded camera modules.
Jetson/Pi MIPI cameras · GMSL2 · 3D
India-based embedded-vision camera maker.
GMSL/MIPI camera modules · depth systems
Jetson-ecosystem camera & 3D depth vendor.
Micro linear actuators · linear servos (L12/L16)
Compact actuators for precise robotics motion.
12/24V linear actuators · controls · mounts
Broad general-purpose linear-actuator store.
Linear actuators · control boxes · brackets
Large actuator + accessory catalog, US stock.
Adaptive grippers · wrist F/T sensors
Standard cobot end-effectors/grippers.
Grippers · F/T & tool changers for cobots
End-of-arm tooling ecosystem.
6-axis force/torque & tactile sensors
ETH-spinoff; integrates into robot arms.
Strain-wave gears · precision joint actuators
Zero-backlash gearing for robot joints.
T-slot aluminum extrusion · 8000+ fittings
The US T-slot framing standard for robot cells.
Modular extrusion · pre-cut frames · robot cells
Design-online then shipped modular hardware.
goRAIL system · hubs · mecanum wheels · servos
Cohesive build system for competition robots.
Mecanum/omni wheels · chassis · motor mounts
Origin of many mecanum-wheel designs.
Build systems · control hubs · mecanum wheels
FTC/FRC-focused structural + electronics.
Mini/OpenBeam 10mm & 15mm T-slot profiles
Netherlands; small-scale aluminum framing.
MB profile system · robot bases · guarding
German engineered extrusion & automation framing.
Gravity sensor ecosystem · boards · modules
Huge open-hardware sensor/module catalog.
HATs · displays · Jetson/Pi accessories · modules
Very broad low-cost module range.
Modules + quick-turn PCB/PCBA
Maker components with in-house fab.
Pi/Arduino kits · robot HATs · sensors
Kits + discrete modules for makers.
Pi/Arduino/ESP32 kits · robot boards
Well-documented budget kit maker.
Components · cables · education electronics
Established UK components distributor.
micro:bit robotics · components · kits
UK STEM electronics & robotics supplier.
SparkFun/Adafruit lines · boards · sensors
UK maker-electronics reseller.
SparkFun/Adafruit/micro:bit · robot kits
UK distributor of maker brands.
Pi/micro:bit robot boards & chassis
UK maker of robot controller boards.
Open-hardware boards · SparkFun DE line
German maker-electronics distributor.
Arduino/sensors/motors · maker parts
German SparkFun/Adafruit distributor.
Pi/Arduino · sensors · modules
High-traffic German maker shop.
Components · robot kits · sensors
Long-standing French electronics retailer.
Arduino/Adafruit/SparkFun distribution FR
French maker-electronics shop.
Broadline component distribution
Major global authorized distributor.
Semiconductors · boards · Molex/connectors
Global authorized distributor.
HGX H100/H200 servers · GPU workstations
Leading GPU-server platform vendor.
GPU servers (G-series) · AI workstations
Broad NVIDIA-certified server line.
GPU server barebones · EPYC boards
Popular for custom AI-server builds.
GPU expansion · edge AI 'AI on the Fly'
Rugged/mobile GPU compute for robotics/AV.
Industrial NVMe/SATA SSD · memory modules
Wide-temp industrial storage for embedded.
Industrial SSD & DRAM · embedded flash
Taiwan; broad industrial-grade storage.
Industrial SSD/SD/CF · DRAM modules
Taiwan; consumer + industrial storage lines.
Industrial SD/CFexpress/SSD · wide-temp
Rugged flash for embedded/edge.
Custom LiPo/Li-ion packs for UGV/UAV
US-assembled high-performance packs.
DC-DC converters (robotics-rated) · modules
Swiss industrial power modules 1-300W.
Enclosed PSUs · DC-DC · DIN-rail supplies
Ubiquitous value industrial power supplies.
Anderson Powerpole · PDUs · LiFePO4
Power distribution/connectors for robots.
Custom Li-ion/LiFePO4 packs · BMS · chargers
Custom pack assembly + cells for robotics.
Fanless edge/vision PCs · Jetson boxes
Configurable rugged edge computers.
Fanless box PCs · edge AI · machine vision
Broad industrial-automation compute.
Embedded boards · COM modules · box PCs
German embedded-computing supplier.
Rugged fanless edge-AI PCs · GPU box
Taiwan; wide-temp edge computers.
ROS robots · Livox lidar · edge PCs · arms
German ROS-focused robotics integrator/reseller.
Lidar · harmonic drives · drones · arms
US multi-category robotics marketplace.
High-speed board-to-board · cable assemblies
Free samples; strong for custom robot PCBs.
Powerpole/SB high-current connectors
Standard for robot power connections.
Connectors · encoders · DC motors · sound
Component catalog incl. encoders/motors.
PH/XH/GH crimp connectors · wire-to-board
Ubiquitous in robotics wiring.
FDM/resin printers · filament · parts
Multi-brand 3D-printing superstore.
Ender/K-series FDM printers · parts
Best-selling budget FDM printers.
Resin & FDM printers · maker kits
Value resin/FDM + electronics kits.
Resin/FDM printers · consumables
Popular budget SLA/FDM.
Professional FDM printers · materials
High-reliability engineering-grade FDM.
PCB fab · PCBA · CNC/3D-print services
One-off PCBA + broad manufacturing.
PCB fab · assembly · HQDFM tooling
Prototype-friendly PCB house.
EU PCB fab/PCBA · native KiCad upload
German maker-friendly board house.
Prototype & small-series PCBs (EU)
Quality EU PCB manufacturer.
WorkBee CNC · V-Slot rails · motion parts
UK OpenBuilds reseller + CNC kits.
This list is editorially curated, not paid placement. We don't earn commissions; we don't take
vendor money. If you see a vendor we've missed who genuinely belongs here (specialty, not
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