What is the HoleyBot?
HoleyBot is a 3D-printable STEAM and robotics kit built on a simple idea: every structural part can be printed on a standard 3D printer, with no screws, bolts, or other hardware. That means anyone with a 3D printer and a spool of filament can produce a complete kit themselves.
Why we built it
HoleyBot was created by Dr. Newland Agbenowosi to make robotics affordable and accessible for students in under-resourced schools and communities.
Commercial robotics kits are polished and easy to use, but they can be expensive — and in many communities, especially in poorer countries, they also mean long shipping waits and added costs. Because HoleyBot prints locally, the main investment is a printer and filament. Educators can make as many kits as they need on site, and students are introduced to design and fabrication from the very start — learning to think about how their own parts are created and improved.
What makes it different
Produce it locally
Every structural part prints on a standard 3D printer, so kits are made where they're used. This removes shipping costs and manufacturing delays, and lets educators produce as many kits as they need.
Hardware-free assembly
HoleyBot uses no screws, bolts, or nuts. Parts fit together directly, keeping assembly fast and approachable for young builders.
Low-cost maintenance
Lost or broken part? Just reprint it. Because replacements print on demand, maintenance costs stay low and a kit never sits unused waiting for spares.
Extensive and expandable
The kit includes parts for add-ons such as claws, grippers, lifts, strikers, and launchers — and everything can be printed in custom colors to match a student or team.
Design your own attachments
Students can model their own attachments in familiar software like Tinkercad, Onshape, OpenSCAD, and Autodesk Inventor, learning design and fabrication at an early stage.
Sustainable by design
HoleyBot is printed in PLA — a plastic made from renewable materials that can be recycled by melting and reused, and is biodegradable in industrial composting facilities.
How it's made
HoleyBot is developed through an iterative cycle: each part is designed in 3D software, printed, and evaluated for quality and fit. Parts that need adjusting are revised and reprinted until every component reaches the right standard. Finished designs are exported and shared as ready-to-print files so anyone can produce them.
Explore
Development — How HoleyBot has evolved over time. [→ Development]
People — The team behind the kit. [→ People]
Gallery — Leadership, developers, and the work in pictures. [→ Gallery]