Frodobots Pioneers Embodied AI with $150 Robots & Crypto

Frodobots, backed by Fabric Ventures, is advancing embodied AI using ultra-affordable robots priced between $150 and $500, coupled with crypto incentives to drive large-scale data collection. Co-founder Michael Cho explains that by trading off latency and edge compute, these tele-operated robots serve as cost-effective data collectors rather than high-end autonomous units. Inspired by Helium’s DePin model, Frodobots plans a global rollout of robots to gather diverse real-world failure data, essential for training robust embodied AI. Deployed in over 30 cities, Frodobots open-sourced its extensive dataset and hosted the Earth Rover Challenge at IROS Abu Dhabi, attracting teams from UT Austin, NUS, and DeepMind. This real-world competition underscores Frodobots’ unique role in pushing embodied AI research beyond simulations. On the consumer side, robots.fun—a play-to-earn launchpad—allows users to control robots, mint meme coins, and compete in real-time events. SAM, Frodobots’ autonomous AI agent with its own meme token, live-streams global adventures. Under the BitRobot initiative, subnet ecosystems will incentivize researchers and GPU providers with token rewards, balancing long-term R&D with gaming-focused engagement. While still early stage, Frodobots’ combination of decentralized incentives, data-driven embodied AI, and on-chain tokenomics highlights new DePin applications and could shape both AI and crypto landscapes.