The idea of Estella was introduced in 2016 at the Robotics Department of Medis Startup Studio by Prof. Behnam Rahnama. From the very beginning, Estella was shaped through joint efforts, with contributions from Prof. Rahnama, Negin (Fatemeh) Heiran, and supportive colleagues who helped bring its core elements to life. Together, the team designed and developed the humanoid face, spine, shoulders, and hands, forming the foundation of a modular and extensible humanoid platform. For us, Estella was more than just a project. It became a companion in learning robotics, innovation, and design, and shaping the path of a career. Today, that same role is envisioned for Estella to play globally, as a resource and inspiration for researchers, engineers, and robotics enthusiasts. Now, Estella is stepping into a new chapter as an independent open-source project lead by Negin, honoring its collaborative foundation at Medis while opening the door for the worldwide community to contribute, expand, and redefine what humanoid robots can become, a mirror of us.
Develop an anatomy-inspired, modular humanoid robot and share its designs openly to enable global collaboration in robotics research and innovation.
Humanoid robots become approachable, emotionally expressive, and collaborative partners in research, education, and human-robot interaction worldwide.
Human-Centric Design: Prioritizing lifelike, emotionally expressive interactions.
Innovation: Continuously advancing humanoid design and expressive robotics.
Collaboration: Fostering a global community of contributors and learners.
Accessibility: Making robotics knowledge and tools open to everyone.
Hardware & 3D designs: CC BY-SA 4.0 and GNU GPL v3
Software & scripts: GNU GPL v3
Documentation & media: CC BY 4.0