Unitree G1
| Manufacturer | Unitree Robotics |
|---|---|
| Announced | 2024-05-13 |
| Status | shipping |
| Price | From US $13,500 (tax and shipping excluded) |
| Height, width, thickness (standing) | 1320 x 450 x 200 mm |
| Size folded | 690 x 450 x 300 mm |
| Weight (with battery) | About 35 kg |
| Degrees of freedom (joints) | 23 (G1); 23-43 (G1 EDU) |
| Degrees of freedom per leg | 6 |
| Degrees of freedom per arm | 5 |
| Waist degrees of freedom | 1 (G1); 1 plus 2 optional (G1 EDU) |
| Hand | Optional three-fingered force-controlled hand, 7 degrees of freedom (G1 EDU) |
| Maximum knee joint torque | 90 N.m (G1); 120 N.m (G1 EDU) |
| Arm maximum load | About 2 kg (G1); about 3 kg (G1 EDU) |
| Arm span | About 0.45 m |
| Calf plus thigh length | 0.6 m |
| Walking speed | About 2 m/s (Unitree press release) |
| Battery | 9000 mAh quick-release smart battery, 13-cell lithium |
| Charger | 54V 5A |
| Runtime | About 2 h |
| Computing | 8-core high-performance central processor; optional high-power module such as Orin (G1 EDU) |
| Sensors | Depth camera plus three-dimensional lidar; Intel RealSense D435 and Livox MID-360 per press release |
| Audio | 4-microphone array, 5 W speaker |
| Wireless | Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth 5.2 |
| Cooling | Local air cooling |
| Joint motors | Low-inertia internal-rotor permanent magnet synchronous motors, dual encoders |
| Warranty | 8 months (G1); 18 months (G1 EDU) |
The machine in motion
What it is. The G1 is a small humanoid robot from the Chinese maker Unitree. It stands about 1.32 metres tall and weighs about 35 kilograms with its battery. Unitree first showed it on 13 May 2024 and again at the ICRA 2024 robotics conference in Yokohama, Japan.
There are two main versions. The basic G1 has 23 powered joints. The G1 EDU version can be ordered with 23 to 43 joints, stronger knees and optional hands.
Unitree also lists related builds on its site, including G1-D, a boxing version and a football-playing version. Those are separate configurations, not the standard product.
What it can actually do
The G1 walks, balances and gets up again after it is pushed over. Unitree’s press release gives a walking speed of about 2 metres per second. Its joints move through unusually wide angles, which lets it squat, fold up and do floor moves.
Each arm can lift about 2 kilograms on the basic model and about 3 kilograms on the EDU model. Unitree says the load changes a lot depending on how far the arm is stretched out. A three-fingered hand called Dex3-1 is an option on the EDU model, with seven powered finger joints.
For sensing it uses a depth camera and a three-dimensional laser scanner, called lidar. Unitree’s press release names an Intel RealSense D435 camera and a Livox MID-360 scanner. The robot also has four microphones and a 5 watt speaker.
Movement skills come from imitation and reinforcement learning, which means the behaviour is trained in simulation rather than hand-coded. Unitree ships software updates over the internet. The company also notes on the page that some demonstrated functions are still being developed.
Where it stands
The G1 is on sale. Unitree showed a mass production version in August 2024, and the robot is listed by resellers in Europe and North America. Unitree’s product page gives a price from 13,500 US dollars, before tax and shipping. At launch in May 2024 the company quoted 16,000 US dollars, so the published price has changed over time.
The EDU version has no list price. Unitree asks buyers to contact its sales team, because the price depends on the chosen modules. Warranty is 8 months on the basic G1 and 18 months on the EDU.
Buyers are mostly universities, research labs, developers and companies that want a walking robot for demonstrations. Only the EDU version is sold for software development on top of the robot. Unitree itself warns that the field is early and advises private buyers to understand the limits first.
What is unclear
Unitree does not publish a top speed, a carrying load for the whole body or a work task it is certified for. Height is also described two ways: the specification table says 1320 millimetres standing, while the launch press release says about 127 centimetres.
The 2 metres per second walking speed comes from the press release, not the specification table. Exact prices for EDU configurations are not published anywhere. Unitree also states that appearance and figures can change between batches.
Sources
- Unitree G1 product page and specification table
- Unitree Robotics introduces G1 Humanoid agent AI avatar (press release)
- Unitree Robotics unveils G1 humanoid for $16K – The Robot Report
- Unitree post on X announcing the G1 mass production version
What changed
- Entry created.