idk there is plenty of universities that have robotics labs.. Probably the best value is to apply for masters etc if you are interested in that..
(preferably a physics simulator library, not an entire framework)
It becomes expensive when you want an robot arm with high dexterity and torque-sensors, which is often a requirement for some tasks, but position-based control can be done on cheaper models.
Quadruped with an arm for <$1000 would be a steal. Got any recommendations?
It runs on Raspberry Pi which is a big +, as version 1 was running on custom hardware. People had to plug a Jetson Nano or other device to run their code (such as this [2]). It comes with their own App, connected via bluetooth, for simple commands too.
I (and most kickstart backers) funded/bought it for either hobby or research purpose (some backers were from labs) so if you're looking for *practical* application this one might be a bit too weak.
But version 1&2 did come with a processing power that could run YOLO detection so there's enough power to test things out and learn.
[1] https://www.robotshop.com/products/xgo-mini-2-quadruped-robo... [2] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xqfwCwu4-Rc
Does it has servos feedback too ?
Good off-the-shelf arms are low thousands last time I looked. You can DIY for $1-2k https://www.anninrobotics.com/robot-kits