The leading Chinese robotics firm Unitree is teasing its next-generation full-sized humanoid robot that promises greater agility and lifelike motion.
Hangzhou-based Unitree Robotics shared promotional image showing a silhouette of a mysterious humanoid robot striking a ballet-like pose. The new robot stands 1.8 meters (5 feet 9 inches), which is about the same as Unitree’s flagship humanoid, the H1.
The teaser emphasizes the robot’s agility and elegance. The next-gen robot has a reported 31 degrees of freedom (DoF), which would offer more fluidity in motion than the current model’s 23 DoF. The teaser doesn’t specify weight, but the H1 is about 47 kg (103 lbs).
The robot in the teaser hints at a more humanlike design than the H1, which has an industrial skeletal frame and simple empty head. The new humanoid could act as a lighter, more agile sibling to the H1, which is priced starting around $90,000.
Launched in 2016, Unitree often follows flagship releases with cheaper, hobbyist-friendly iterations. In May 2024, the company launched its G1 humanoid, which was shorter than the H1 and priced at $16,000, which was considered shockingly low at the time. Unitree has since followed that up with its lightweight R1, which is priced starting around $5,300.
Unitree introduced the first H1 prototype back in late 2023, when the Chinese government made it national policy to mass produce humanoids by 2025 and own the emerging market by 2027. The H1, which is priced starting around $90K, made headlines throughout 2024 and 2025 for its athletic and dancing capabilities, which were on full display for a billion viewers during China’s Spring Festival Gala.
Unitree is hyping the future release after a dominant performance at the first World Humanoid Robot Games in Beijing, during which its H1 model won 11 medals, including four golds in track and field events. The teaser signals a shift from raw speed and endurance to greater agility, dexterity, and potential real-world applications.