Unitree unveils its new humanoid robot that cracks nuts, makes toast, does acrobatics and costs $16,000

The development of humanoid robots at the Chinese company Unitree continues at a rapid pace. Recently, the H1 model, priced at $90,000, set a world record for speed in its class, becoming the first robot in the world to perform a backflip without using hydraulics. Now, the G1 model, priced at just $16,000, has picked up the baton, demonstrating a series of impressive acrobatic tricks and successfully completing tasks requiring fine motor skills.

Until recently, Unitree focused primarily on developing increasingly advanced four-legged robot dogs, such as the Go2 and B2. These commercially available models were often used as a basis for some rather alarming applications, such as the flamethrowing Thermonator or the platform for the M72 Light Anti-tank Weapon.

In the field of humanoid model development, Unitree has faced serious competition from companies like Boston Dynamics, Fig, Sanctuary AI, and Tesla. However, Unitree quickly introduced the H1 model, which set a speed record and demonstrated unique capabilities. Now, the company presents the G1 - a true acrobatic star.

While the price of the H1 was set at $90,000 with an expected delivery time of up to 10 years, the G1 is available at a much lower price of $16,000, making it an attractive option for those in need of a robot assistant, assembly line operator, or subject for scientific research. The robot will be available in two configurations – standard and extended.

The G1 is built on a powerful eight-core processor, using Wi-Fi 6 and Bluetooth 5.2 for communication. Its joints provide from 23 to 43 degrees of freedom and create a maximum torque of up to 120 Nm. The speed of movement is 2 meters per second (7.2 km/h), and the autonomous operation time from a 9000 mAh battery is about 2 hours. The robot weighs about 35 kg (although the product page indicates 47 kg) and can be compactly folded into a parallelepiped measuring 690 × 450 × 300 mm for transportation.

The G1 features a full "head" in the form of a helmet and illuminated "face" with a set of 3D LiDAR sensors and a depth camera. The humanoid robotic arms of the G1 demonstrate a wide range of skills and are trained in a virtual environment using reinforcement learning and skill imitation from their peers. Some of the demonstrated features are still in the development stage.