Unitree G1

What it is

The G1 is a humanoid robot built by Unitree Robotics, which describes it as a "humanoid agent". Unitree released it on 13 May 2024 with a starting price of 99,000 yuan.^[2][3] "Humanoid" here refers to the overall layout: two legs, two arms and a torso, with joints arranged roughly the way a person's are, so the machine can in principle use floors, stairs and tools built for people.

Frame and joints

Unitree's product page lists the robot at 1320 mm tall, 450 mm wide and 200 mm deep in its standing pose, and 690 x 450 x 300 mm folded, with a weight of about 35 kg including the battery.^[1] Xinhua Finance's launch report gives a height of about 127 cm and the same weight of roughly 35 kg, along with a movement speed of 2 m/s and about 2 hours of running time.^[2] The folded dimensions are listed separately on the product page, which points at a practical concern: when the robot is not working it can be packed into a smaller volume for transport and storage.

Joint count depends on the version. The standard G1 lists 23 degrees of freedom and the G1 EDU lists 23 to 43; broken down by body part, the page gives 6 per leg, 5 per arm and 1 in the waist.^[1] A degree of freedom can be thought of as one independently driven joint, so a higher count raises the ceiling on how finely the robot can move. Xinhua Finance likewise reports 23 to 43 joint motors.^[2]

Strength is also split by version. Maximum knee torque is listed at 90 N·m for the standard machine and 120 N·m for the EDU, with arm payload of about 2 kg and about 3 kg respectively.^[1] Torque measures the turning force a joint can apply: knee torque determines whether the robot can support its own weight and push itself up from the ground, while arm payload sets how much it can carry.

The hands are another option. The G1 EDU can be fitted with the Dex3-1 three-fingered dexterous hand, in which the thumb has 3 active degrees of freedom and the index and middle fingers have 2 each.^[1] Three fingers with that many driven joints is a modest arrangement, but it is enough for simple grasping rather than a rigid hook.

Sensing, computing and power

The G1 carries a depth camera plus 3D LiDAR, a four-microphone array and an 8-core CPU, and runs on a 9000 mAh quick-release battery that gives about 2 hours of use.^[1] The depth camera and LiDAR address the question of what is around the robot and how far away it is; the microphone array gives it a way to pick up speech; and the quick-release battery means a depleted pack can be swapped out rather than waited on.

Software and the launch demonstration

According to Xinhua Finance, the G1 is driven by UnifoLM, Unitree's unified robot large model. The launch video showed it standing up from lying flat, trotting, waving and cracking walnuts.^[2] Getting up from the floor is a demanding demonstration for a bipedal machine, because it combines joint strength, balance and control in one motion; cracking a walnut tests the opposite end, fine force control in the hand and arm.

Versions and pricing

The 99,000 yuan figure is a starting price.^[2][3] Unitree's product page lists the standard model at US$13,500 excluding tax and shipping, and states that the EDU version is sold through its sales channel.^[1]

Where it sits

Taken together, the G1 is a bipedal humanoid of about 35 kg that can be folded for carrying, and that carries its own sensing, compute and battery. It ships as two configurations: a standard machine, and an EDU version that leaves more headroom in degrees of freedom, knee torque, arm payload and hand hardware.^[1]