Screenshot of some of the Unitree R1's features

John Koetsier

Starting next week, you’re going to be able to buy the world’s cheapest humanoid robot, the Unitree R1, in North America, Europe, Japan, Singapore and China, according to a recent report. Last year’s models started at around $4,400, but this year’s models start at $4,900 and range up to “contact sales” if you want to add a lot of extras. That’s incredibly cheap for a functioning robot, never mind a humanoid robot. And while it won’t be working your factory shift tomorrow, and probably won’t do all your housework either, it’s no slouch.

Here’s what you can expect from a Unitree R1 humanoid robot:

• Height: four feet tall (1.2 meters)
• Weight: 60 pounds (27 kilograms)
• Battery: one-hour battery life (hot-swappable, so longer life if you buy more batteries)
• Movement: R1 can walk, run, do cartwheels, get up from the ground, dance and fight (more play-fighting)
• Sensors: cameras (one for the cheapest version) and microphones
• Connectivity: WiFi, Bluetooth
• Communication: AI integration for speech recognition
• Strength: maximum arm torque of about five pounds or two kilograms

Essentially, while this is a pretty capable robot compared to what we’ve seen in the past, it’s not something that can actually perform significant work for extended periods of time. It’s a novelty or a toy, not a worker. A key factor: the hands don’t actually move until you level up to the EDU versions, which are significantly more expensive (the price tags aren’t listed, but you have the option to contact Unitree sales for a quote).

The R1 AIR version is the cheapest, but the full R1 is only $1,000 more at $5,900 and adds six more degrees of freedom with more dextrous arms and a moving neck. In addition, the EDU series that adds serious functionality which will enable the R1 to actually do some useful, if limited, chores.

Within the EDU series of R1 robots, there are various options:

• EDU Pro A ships with 7 DOF (degrees of freedom) agile hands but no touch sensors
• EDU Pro B has the same hands but they are equipped with tactile sensors for better performance
• EDU Pro C upgrades you to five-finger hands that have 6 DOF and touch-sensors
• EDU Pro D provides those five-finger hands with more DOF

The EDU version is also a robot that you can program for additional tasks, and comes with additional compute and development resources, making it attractive if you have a fatter wallet and a larger wish list.

Unitree is currently the second-biggest humanoid robot manufacturer in the world by shipments with 4,200 units sold last year, only trailing Agibot. With prices like this and near-global availability via Alibaba, however, that might change.

More importantly, if this is the current standard for a low-end humanoid robot, we should be able to purchase much more capable and useful models within a year or two that will actually do significant amounts of labor.

1X’s Neo, for instance, is currently available for pre-order. A $200 deposit gets you in line for a home chore robot that you can rent for $500/month or buy outright for $20,000. According to 1X, deliveries will start in the United States at some point this year.

Whether 1X makes its goal, or Unitree makes a more useful robot next year that it sells for $10,000, we’re getting close to the reality of being able to have a humanoid robot of our own.