How long does it take to build a first working prototype?
On Anvol's builds, development of a first working prototype took 3 to 15 days for simple devices, 10 to 30 days for small robots, and one to two months for large robots and underwater vehicles. The delivered batch of 10 lidar cars took about one month. Shipping comes on top.
Updated
Our builds, by development time
| Build | Kind | Development time |
|---|---|---|
| 24-channel logic analyzer | Instrument, reused open-source firmware | 3 days |
| LED pixel board | ESP32 board with a browser editor | About 10 days |
| AI voice companion | Battery voice device with a screen | About 10 days |
| Voice-controlled robot dog | Small four-legged robot | 10 days |
| Smart planter | Sensor device with a screen and voice | About 15 days |
| Desk AI companion | Bluetooth device with a screen | About 15 days |
| Robot-arm car kit | Small robot with a remote | 15 days |
| Tracked gel blaster robot | Small tracked robot | 15 days |
| ROS 2 omnidirectional robot | Mapping and navigation robot | 18 days |
| Six-legged robot | 18 servos and a phone app | 20 days |
| Wheel-legged balancing robot | Balancing robot | 20 days |
| Voice-controlled quadruped | Four-legged robot | 20 days |
| Small dynamic robot dog | Robot dog with its own programming tool | 30 days |
| Lidar line-following car | Robot car, delivered as a batch of 10 | About 1 month |
| Indoor delivery robot | 200 kg cargo robot | 1 month |
| Large ROS inspection robot | Autonomous patrol robot | 1 month |
| Laser weeding robot | Remote-operated field robot | 1 month |
| Underwater ROV with arm | Underwater vehicle | 2 months |
From our project sheets. Development time, not a promise for your build: your written scope gives the date.
What adds time
- Before work starts
- The written scope comes once the open questions are answered, so the faster those answers come, the sooner the build starts. We reply within 12 hours.
- Scope changes
- A major change is re-quoted, with a new date, before work continues.
- Revisions
- Changes found on the first prototype are made with you before you confirm it, and each one adds days.
- Shipping
- Not in these times. Usually arranged by you once the units leave the factory.
- Certification
- FCC or CE testing is done by a test lab, on its own schedule, and quoted separately.
What makes it faster
- Reusing proven firmware or a development board. The logic analyzer took 3 days because its firmware was reused open source.
- A short brief that says what the first unit must do and what it can skip.
- One decision-maker who answers questions the same day.
How this compares
Sources
- LA New Product Development Team, how much does a prototype cost to make, updated 2026-09-02
- JLCPCB, PCB prototype assembly, accessed 2026-10-19
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