[GUEST ACCESS MODE: Data is scrambled or limited to provide examples. Make requests using your API key to unlock full data. Check https://lunarcrush.ai/auth for authentication information.]  Owen Gregorian [@OwenGregorian](/creator/twitter/OwenGregorian) on x 119.5K followers Created: 2025-07-26 12:18:12 UTC Video: China’s Unitree launches full‑size humanoid at just US$5,900, shocks robot market | Kaif Shaikh, Interesting Engineering Unitree’s move intensifies pressure on American and European rivals working to drive costs down. Hangzhou‑based Unitree Robotics has unveiled the R1, a humanoid robot with XX joints, at just XXXXXX yuan (about US $5,900). Marketed as “born for sport,” the robot was shown in company videos cartwheeled, running downhill, and quickly getting up from the ground. These moves are normally reserved for far more expensive hardware. Unitree says the system is aimed at individual developers and early‑stage research teams rather than hobbyists, offering genuinely capable hardware previously unseen below the low‑five‑figure range. The R1 undercuts Unitree’s own earlier models by a wide margin. The G1, a XXX cm, XX kg unit, starts at XXXXXX yuan (US $13,800), while the XXX cm flagship H1 lists at (US $90,800). Even so, the company’s larger robots have already proven factory‑ready. H1 and G1 units are in pilot use at electric‑vehicle makers Nio and Geely, handling repetitive and precision tasks on assembly lines. The R1 is designed as a cut‑price gateway for software designers who want to build on that same control stack. A cross‑Pacific price war Unitree’s move intensifies pressure on American and European rivals working to drive costs down, but they still sit well above the new benchmark. Tesla’s still‑experimental Optimus is projected to cost “under US$20,000” only when output reaches one million units annually. Figure AI, whose XX kg Figure XX robot is testing sheet‑metal handling at BMW’s Spartanburg, South Carolina plant, is informally priced around US$50,000. BMW calls the machine “one of the most advanced humanoid robots in operation.” Apptronik’s Apollo, now in intralogistics trials at Mercedes‑Benz facilities in Berlin and Hungary, likewise targets a sub‑US$50,000 list once production scales. According to industry estimates, Agility Robotics’ Digit, the first humanoid known to earn revenue under a robots‑as‑a‑service model, costs roughly US$250,000. However, clients such as GXO Logistics pay by the hour (about US$30). UBTech’s Walker S, already lifting components at Chinese electric‑vehicle plants, is valued near US$100,000. One notable exception is the open‑source HopeJR platform from Pollen Robotics and Hugging Face, which recently entered the field at about US$3,000 but is still positioned as a community experiment rather than an industrial tool. Against that backdrop, the R1’s sub‑US$6,000 sticker stands out. While it is smaller and lighter than most western contenders, its acrobatic performance in demonstration videos suggests it could match basic locomotion and manipulation tasks at a fraction of the cost, potentially accelerating the pace of development. IPO ambitions and industrial vision Coco Feng from SCMP reports that the R1 launch arrives just days after Unitree filed tutoring documents with Chinese regulators. An early step toward an initial public offering planned for later this year. If the process stays on track, the company could become the first pure‑play humanoid robot maker listed on a mainland exchange. The R1 appears to extend Unitree’s growing lineup of humanoid platforms, offering a lower-cost entry point alongside the more advanced G1 and H1 models already used in industrial settings. By showing the R1 running on a hillside and flipping onto its “hands,” the firm seeks to assure potential buyers that the low price does not imply a hobby‑grade frame. Instead, it argues that the robot is a modular training platform that can graduate to light‑duty industrial roles, mirroring how its larger siblings are now lifting parts and welding fixtures at Chinese auto plants. Read more:  XXXXXXX engagements  **Related Topics** [robot](/topic/robot) [Post Link](https://x.com/OwenGregorian/status/1949081818726338983)
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Owen Gregorian @OwenGregorian on x 119.5K followers
Created: 2025-07-26 12:18:12 UTC
Video: China’s Unitree launches full‑size humanoid at just US$5,900, shocks robot market | Kaif Shaikh, Interesting Engineering
Unitree’s move intensifies pressure on American and European rivals working to drive costs down.
Hangzhou‑based Unitree Robotics has unveiled the R1, a humanoid robot with XX joints, at just XXXXXX yuan (about US $5,900). Marketed as “born for sport,” the robot was shown in company videos cartwheeled, running downhill, and quickly getting up from the ground.
These moves are normally reserved for far more expensive hardware. Unitree says the system is aimed at individual developers and early‑stage research teams rather than hobbyists, offering genuinely capable hardware previously unseen below the low‑five‑figure range.
The R1 undercuts Unitree’s own earlier models by a wide margin. The G1, a XXX cm, XX kg unit, starts at XXXXXX yuan (US $13,800), while the XXX cm flagship H1 lists at (US $90,800). Even so, the company’s larger robots have already proven factory‑ready.
H1 and G1 units are in pilot use at electric‑vehicle makers Nio and Geely, handling repetitive and precision tasks on assembly lines. The R1 is designed as a cut‑price gateway for software designers who want to build on that same control stack.
A cross‑Pacific price war
Unitree’s move intensifies pressure on American and European rivals working to drive costs down, but they still sit well above the new benchmark. Tesla’s still‑experimental Optimus is projected to cost “under US$20,000” only when output reaches one million units annually.
Figure AI, whose XX kg Figure XX robot is testing sheet‑metal handling at BMW’s Spartanburg, South Carolina plant, is informally priced around US$50,000. BMW calls the machine “one of the most advanced humanoid robots in operation.”
Apptronik’s Apollo, now in intralogistics trials at Mercedes‑Benz facilities in Berlin and Hungary, likewise targets a sub‑US$50,000 list once production scales. According to industry estimates, Agility Robotics’ Digit, the first humanoid known to earn revenue under a robots‑as‑a‑service model, costs roughly US$250,000. However, clients such as GXO Logistics pay by the hour (about US$30).
UBTech’s Walker S, already lifting components at Chinese electric‑vehicle plants, is valued near US$100,000. One notable exception is the open‑source HopeJR platform from Pollen Robotics and Hugging Face, which recently entered the field at about US$3,000 but is still positioned as a community experiment rather than an industrial tool.
Against that backdrop, the R1’s sub‑US$6,000 sticker stands out. While it is smaller and lighter than most western contenders, its acrobatic performance in demonstration videos suggests it could match basic locomotion and manipulation tasks at a fraction of the cost, potentially accelerating the pace of development.
IPO ambitions and industrial vision
Coco Feng from SCMP reports that the R1 launch arrives just days after Unitree filed tutoring documents with Chinese regulators. An early step toward an initial public offering planned for later this year. If the process stays on track, the company could become the first pure‑play humanoid robot maker listed on a mainland exchange.
The R1 appears to extend Unitree’s growing lineup of humanoid platforms, offering a lower-cost entry point alongside the more advanced G1 and H1 models already used in industrial settings.
By showing the R1 running on a hillside and flipping onto its “hands,” the firm seeks to assure potential buyers that the low price does not imply a hobby‑grade frame. Instead, it argues that the robot is a modular training platform that can graduate to light‑duty industrial roles, mirroring how its larger siblings are now lifting parts and welding fixtures at Chinese auto plants.
Read more:
XXXXXXX engagements
Related Topics robot