First reported Sep 20 — we wrote this up later than the original.
Blue Worm's Modular Humanoid Splits Into Arm, Chassis, and More
China's Mantis Standard robot lets a single 'brain' run detachable arms and a wheeled base separately or combined.
Chinese robotics startup Blue Worm (BLUE WORM, 蓝虫具身) has unveiled a humanoid robot whose arms and mobile chassis can be detached and used independently, according to China Robot Network, as reported by South Korea's Robot News (로봇신문). The robot, called Mantis Standard (小白), has begun shipping to customers.
Rather than arriving as a single fixed-purpose machine, Mantis Standard is built from parts that work alone or in combination. A single robotic arm can be removed from the main body and placed on a desk, where it can grasp objects, set them down, and carry out simple tasks on command. Reattached to the main body, the same arm turns the robot into a machine that can pick up and carry items. Detach the chassis instead, and it runs on its own as an autonomous mobile robot (AMR).
According to the report, every configuration — arm alone, chassis alone, or the fully assembled humanoid — draws on the same onboard "brain," which shifts its sensing and decision-making functions to whichever hardware is currently active.
Blue Worm frames the design as a response to a common criticism of humanoid robots: that their physical form and control system are usually locked together, forcing operators to swap in an entirely different machine whenever their task changes. Mantis Standard instead pairs several possible bodies with one shared brain, called BW-Brain, built on the company's in-house "Wormhole" (虫洞) series of embodied-intelligence foundation models using a VLA+DRL+WAM framework.
When mounted on the main body, the detachable arm is designed to function as a sensing, decision-capable "hand." The main body, arm, and chassis are described as independent modules that connect through a quick-release interface, completing mechanical and electrical integration in a single step. Combining the arm with the chassis yields a mobile robot able to grab and transport objects, while combining both arms with a head produces a wheeled humanoid configuration.
The robot stands 1.4 meters tall and was reportedly designed around the physical capabilities of a typical 14-year-old. Instead of requiring customers to buy the full system, Blue Worm lets them purchase only the modules they need.
Pricing starts at 9,800 yuan (about 1.98 million Korean won as cited in the source). China Robot Network credits the low entry price to Blue Worm developing its core components in-house and adopting a modular architecture, which lets buyers pay only for the parts they actually use.
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