Unitree says its $16,000 humanoid robot is ready for mass production.
The Chinese company just shared footage of the pint-sized G1 humanoid robot, saying it’s been upgraded for scale. With the milestone, China is on track to meet its 2025 target for mass producing humanoid robots.
The relatively low price tag opens accessibility to advanced humanoid robotics to a broader range of users from researchers to entrepreneurs to hobbyists.
Unitree G1 mass production version, leap into the future!
— Unitree (@UnitreeRobotics) August 19, 2024
Over the past few months, Unitree G1 robot has been upgraded into a mass production version, with stronger performance, ultimate appearance, and being more in line with mass production requirements. We hope you like it.🥳… pic.twitter.com/Hi4mL65d6z
Unitree says the design, optimized for large-scale manufacturing, enhances the robot’s strength.
The G1 stands 1.3 meters tall and folds into a compact size for easy storage. It weighs 35 kg.
The G1 features 23 to 43 joint motors depending on the model. It walks at speeds up to 2 meters per second.
Its battery provides about 2 hours of use per charge, with quick-release functionality for easy swapping.
The G1 comes equipped with advanced sensors, including Intel RealSense and 3D LiDAR so it can see and navigate its environment.
It can be fitted with dexterous hands that can perform delicate tasks like opening bottles, handling fragile items, and even welding. The hands use force-controlled technology to simulate the precision of human hands.
Unitree says the robot excels at household and industrial tasks.
The G1 is a smaller, more affordable version of Unitree’s flagship robot, the H1. Unitree boasts the full-size version as the world’s fastest humanoid robot.
While the H1 has more size and power, the G1 offers similar advanced features in a more compact package.
The G1’s smaller frame is part of a strategy to make the robot more accessible to a larger audience. It’s similar to what another Chinese robotics company, UBTech , is doing with its Walker S Lite, which is a downsized, more deployable version of the Walker S.
Two of the Lite humanoid robots recently performed tasks for at least 72 hours straight at Zeekr’s 5G EV smart factory in China.
The Lite version handles general manufacturing tasks, while the Walker S is suited for complex tasks like quality inspections and assembly line integrations. The Walker S Lite can create 3D semantic maps for navigation. It recognizes and grasps objects with hand-eye coordination.
China is making serious strides as it aims to mass produce advanced humanoid robots by 2025. Chinese officials and business leaders want to nurture a few large-scale companies and create a cluster of specialized small and medium-sized enterprises.
At the 2024 World Artificial Intelligence Conference (WAIC) in Shanghai, China showcased its first full-sized general-purpose humanoid robot, Qinglong. The open-source initiative is meant to drive innovation in the Chinese robotics sector.
The humanoid robot can navigate different terrains, recognize and interact with objects and people, and manipulate objects with precision.
The humanoid robotics market is evolving rapidly.
Unitree is up against major players like:
- Figure 02, which Figure AI calls the world’s most advanced and first commercially viable autonomous humanoid robot. Figure’s much-hyped robot recently completed testing at a BMW plant, and the luxury automaker is exploring future use
- Tesla’s Optimus, which Elon Musk says could boost the EV automaker’s market value into the trillions, is also in the spotlight. A small number of Tesla Bots are being tested at Gigafactory, with plans to produce a limited number in 2025 for internal use and increase production in 2026
- Agility Robotics’ Digit and Apptronik’ Apollo are both being deployed for warehouse work
- Phoenix, from Sanctuary AI, which the startup says will bring artificial general intelligence into physical reality.
- Fourier’s GR-1, a 5’5″ humanoid that’s being tested at the China Construction Bank branch in Shanghai.
- And the new electric Atlas by Boston Dynamics
Unitree also recently announced its open-source solution to control humanoid robots remotely. The company says the project makes it easier to gather data using existing tech.
Unitree also recently announced an open-source solution for teleoperating humanoid robots.