For lower than the worth of a completely decked-out MacBook Pro, you should buy Unitree’s newest humanoid robotic known as the R1. You solely should shell out $5,900 for a robotic that weighs round 55 lbs, stands about 4 toes tall, and is constructed with a Giant Multimodal Mannequin to deal with complicated duties.
In case you’re questioning what the R1 can be used for, your guess is nearly as good as ours. Unitree mentioned its robotic is “absolutely customizable” and demoed its capabilities in a video displaying off cartwheels, handstands, boxing, roundhouse kicks and working downhill, however did not supply examples with any sensible use but. The light-weight robotic has an ultra-wide view and a four-microphone array to assist it acknowledge voices and pictures, however was additionally constructed with Wi-Fi 6 and Bluetooth 5.2 connectivity. It isn’t laborious to examine a world the place folks program the R1 as a robotic butler to deal with day by day chores, very like what Meta is reportedly engaged on. Nonetheless, you may even be capable to sq. up two R1s to struggle one another, as evidenced by Unitree selling a unique fighting tournament that felt like a much less aesthetically polished model of 2011’s Actual Metal.
The most recent R1 is a a lot decrease entry level than Unitree’s earlier humanoid robotic, the G1, which begins at $16,000 and was demoed at CES 2025 with considerably disastrous outcomes. Regardless that the R1’s sub-$6,000 price ticket is arguably excessive, it is nonetheless less expensive in comparison with different comparable choices, like Tesla’s Optimus bot that is anticipated to go for a minimum of $20,000.
