A small white beni camera robot with glowing blue round eyes and red ear accents stands on a grassy field.

Beni Camera Robot Leaves Kickstarter for Retail, Reaching 17.9 mph at $799

2026-11-11

Mondo Robotics has begun selling Beni, a camera robot that follows its owner on foot, wheels, and stairs. The beni camera robot’s standard kit sells for $799 direct from the company. That is the price buyers now face after a crowdfunding campaign built the product’s early following.

Beni started on Kickstarter. The campaign raised over $5 million. Mondo Robotics told The Verge it had shipped more than 5,000 robots to backers in October.

What Beni does

The beni camera robot is built for hands-free filming. It tracks a selected subject, avoids obstacles, and films the subject from a ground-level view. Mondo Robotics says the robot tops out at 17.9 mph and jumps up to 10 inches, which lets it clear curbs and climb stairs.

Mondo says the robot is ready to use in under five minutes straight out of the box, making it a quick-start robot cameraman. It falls back onto its wheels through a self-recovery system, and The Verge’s reviewer found it always bounced back after falls.

The camera is the core product. Mondo lists 4K video at 60 frames per second, with a 120 frames per second mode that drops to 1080p. A 9:16 vertical mode records 3K footage at 1,728 by 3,072 pixels, at either 30 or 60 frames per second, for social platforms. The Verge notes that these figures are Mondo’s claimed specifications, not results from its own tests.

If the 9:16 vertical mode appeals to social creators, a handheld option is worth comparing: Hohem Eyepic Gimbal Camera’s Vertical 4K Video shows another route to tall-format footage.

Storage starts with 32GB built in, and a microSD slot adds more. The kit includes a motion tracker and wristband. The app offers virtual joysticks for manual control.

Battery life is about 90 minutes per charge, according to Gadget Review, and TechRadar reports the same runtime. Yanko Design says the battery is swappable, and that three batteries extend total runtime to 4.5 hours.

Beni camera robot, a small wheeled device featured in this retail launch article.

Mondo’s co-founder and CTO, Shuo Yang, described the product’s purpose in a company statement. He said the team wants to “reignite the curiosity and imagination in everyone” and to show that complicated technology can be easy for everyday users.

Beni camera robot, a compact wheeled device shown in this article about its retail launch.

White robot with orange accents sits on a tennis court beside a racket and balls. — A small white robot with orange accents sits on a tennis court next to a tennis racket, two tennis balls, a black bag, two spare wheels, a small red cap, and a remote control.

How the beni camera robot performed in hands-on tests

The Verge’s Sean Hollister spent a two-hour demo with the robot. He found its legs were the key to its durability. Shoulder motors swing the lower legs down, and spring-filled joints absorb shock. He repeatedly ran Beni into walls and off ledges, and it returned to motion with no more than a deep scuff.

Skateboarder in pink top rides a concrete ramp beside a small white robot. — A person in a pink top and white skirt skateboards down a concrete ramp next to a small, white robot.

Tracking was less reliable in the same test. Hollister had to activate the tracking modes by hand. The robot clipped corners, hit walls, and ran into his foot while following a kick scooter. It did better when he walked it through downtown Oakland.

Man kneels on grass watching a brown dog run past a white robot. — A man kneels on a grassy lawn near palm trees, watching a small brown dog run past a white robotic toy.

The testers saw occasional tracking losses and collisions with stationary objects. They also found the tracking did not recognize vehicles or bicycles as subjects.

Man and boy cheer with raised arms on grass beside a small toy robot. — A man and a young boy sit on a grassy lawn, both cheering with their arms raised in the air next to a small toy robot.

Hollister’s account also notes that the robot’s two obstacle-avoidance cameras cover a 150-degree field of view. He said these cameras and the UWB wrist tracker were not enough to stop collisions in his early test. He did not test the full set of follow modes that Mondo demonstrated in marketing videos.

White wheeled robot sits on grass; a man and boy stand behind near camping gear. — A small, white, wheeled robot sits on a grassy field in the foreground, while a man and a young boy stand in the background near a camping setup.

Pricing and configurations

The Standard Combo for the beni camera robot costs $799 in the United States and Canada. It includes the robot, a motion tracker, a wristband, a Beni hat, a chest-protection plate, and one battery.

Visor-wearing person holds phone showing photos; white robot stands on blue court. — A person wearing a visor holds a smartphone displaying a photo gallery while a small white robot stands on a blue tennis court in the background.

The Explore Combo costs $959 in the United States and Canada, 959 euros in the EU, and 829 pounds in the UK. It adds off-road wheels and a charging hub. The battery count differs between sources. Mondo’s listing, as reported by Yanko Design, includes three batteries. Gadget Review says the Explore Combo adds two batteries to the Standard kit.

Tennis player in white reaches for a ball near a small white robot on court. — A tennis player in a white outfit reaches toward a tennis ball in mid-air near a small, white robotic device on a court.

It describes these as discounted campaign prices from the $799 retail price. The Verge put the Kickstarter price at roughly $600.

The two sources also disagree on the company’s home base. The Verge places Mondo in Shenzhen.

Mondo’s marketing director, Cody Skene, told The Verge that the robot’s engineers include former DJI staff. He said the company has no other connection to DJI and manufactures Beni in-house.

What buyers should weigh

The beni camera robot’s capabilities are documented. Its tracking, however, needed hands-on help in early tests, and independent reviewers still describe it as needing supervision. Buyers who need a beni camera robot that keeps pace on foot now have a shipping product to evaluate against that record.

For a different take on creator gear, Insta360 Luna Ultra’s 450mm Telephoto Zoom covers distant subjects that a ground robot cannot follow closely.

The $799 price buys a specialized tool, not a general camera. Whether it earns a place in a bag will depend on how often a filmmaker or runner needs a shot that a second person cannot provide.

H/T petapixel.com

Frequently asked questions

How much does the Beni camera robot cost?

The Standard Combo costs $799 in the United States and Canada and includes the robot, a motion tracker, a wristband, a Beni hat, a chest-protection plate, and one battery. The Explore Combo costs $959 in the United States and Canada, adds off-road wheels and a charging hub, and is priced separately in euros and pounds.

How fast can the Beni camera robot travel and how high can it jump?

Mondo Robotics says the Beni camera robot tops out at 17.9 mph and jumps up to 10 inches, which lets it clear curbs and climb stairs. These are the company’s stated specifications.

How long does the Beni camera robot’s battery last?

According to Gadget Review and TechRadar, Beni’s battery lasts about 90 minutes per charge. Yanko Design reports that the battery is swappable and that three batteries extend total runtime to 4.5 hours.

Can the Beni camera robot track vehicles or bicycles?

No, the article reports that Beni’s tracking did not recognize vehicles or bicycles as subjects. Its tracking also needed manual activation and was less reliable in early hands-on tests.