https://lite.berkeley-humanoid.org/ is only $5000. What's the extra $3000 get me?
We are planning to release a similar-size robot later this year (calling it M-Bot) that will be closer in height and price, but our current focus has been on launching the full-size humanoid.
Mechanically, I think Berkeley Humanoid Lite is pretty similar to the 3D printed one we made last year. Our main focus with the K-Bot redesign was to make it not break so much. 3D printed components break a lot and repair time can be quite long. Also, having the wiring routed internally makes a huge, huge difference. So there are some benefits to doing QA on a manufacturing line in terms of quality and consistency.