{"id":"unitree-r1","manufacturer":"Unitree","model":"R1","country":"CN","description":"The Unitree R1 is a small bipedal humanoid, about 1.2 m tall, from Unitree Robotics of Hangzhou, China. Announced in July 2025 from RMB 39,999 (about $5,900), it was one of the cheapest humanoids on the market and targets developers, universities, research teams and enthusiasts.","catalog_status":"preorder","specifications":{"height_cm":123,"weight_kg":27,"payload_kg":null,"dof":20,"speed_ms":1.5,"battery_h":null},"capabilities":["obstacle","recover","run"],"source":{"url":"https://www.unitree.com","verified_at":null,"verified_fields":[],"review_status":"requires_current_source_check"},"evidence":{"manufacturer_review":null,"mera_field_test":{"status":"not_published","report_url":null,"measured_at":null},"verification_note":"A manufacturer documentation check does not verify field performance, inventory or MERA compatibility."},"knowledge":{"summary":"The Unitree R1 is a small bipedal humanoid, about 1.2 m tall, from Unitree Robotics of Hangzhou, China. Announced in July 2025 from RMB 39,999 (about $5,900), it was one of the cheapest humanoids on the market and targets developers, universities, research teams and enthusiasts.","sections":[{"h":"History and launch","p":["Unitree announced the R1 on July 25, 2025. Promo videos show it doing cartwheels, running downhill, flipping onto its hands and springing up from the ground; Unitree marketed it as born for sport.","It undercut Unitree's earlier humanoids by a wide margin: the G1 launched at RMB 99,000 and the full-size H1 at around $90,000."]},{"h":"Design and hardware","p":["The R1 walks on legs; it is not a wheeled robot. Unitree's spec sheet lists 123 × 35.7 × 19 cm and about 27 kg with battery for the AIR version, about 29 kg for the R1 and R1 EDU. Launch coverage cited about 25 kg and 121 cm.","The AIR has 20 joints (6 per leg, 4 per arm). The standard R1 has 26: 6 per leg, 5 per arm, 2 in the waist and 2 in the head. The EDU version has 26 to 40, depending on optional dexterous hands. Each arm handles about 2 kg.","Joints use low-inertia, high-speed internal-rotor PMSMs with crossed roller bearings and local air cooling. A quick-release battery gives about one hour. There is an 8-core processor, a 4-mic array, a speaker, Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth 5.2 and a stereo camera (mono on the AIR)."]},{"h":"Software and AI","p":["A large multimodal model handles voice and image understanding, and the software updates over the air. The EDU version opens full joint and sensor control, supports mainstream simulators and can take an extra compute module such as an NVIDIA Orin (40 to 100 TOPS)."]},{"h":"Use cases","p":["Unitree aims the R1 at individual developers and early-stage research teams, education, demos and entertainment, presenting it as a modular training platform that might later do light work. The company warns buyers that humanoids are at an early stage and that they should understand the limitations."]},{"h":"Company","p":["Unitree Robotics (Hangzhou Yushu Technology) is one of China's largest makers of quadrupeds and humanoids, including the Go2, B2, G1, H1 and H2. In 2025 it filed with Chinese regulators ahead of a planned stock listing."]},{"h":"Price and availability","p":["Unitree lists the R1 AIR at $4,900 and the R1 at $5,900 (excluding tax and shipping); R1 EDU pricing comes from sales. Warranties are 6, 8 and 12 months respectively."]}],"timeline":[["2025-07","R1 announced from RMB 39,999"],["2026","Three versions offered: R1 AIR, R1 and R1 EDU"]],"faq":[["How much does the Unitree R1 cost?","From $4,900 for the R1 AIR; the standard R1 is $5,900 and the EDU is priced by sales."],["How tall and heavy is the Unitree R1?","About 123 cm and 27 to 29 kg with battery, depending on version."],["What is the R1's battery life?","About one hour, with a quick-release battery."],["Is the Unitree R1 wheeled?","No. It is a bipedal humanoid that walks, runs and does acrobatics."],["How is the R1 different from the G1?","It is smaller, lighter and much cheaper; the G1 launched at RMB 99,000."]],"sources":[{"title":"Unitree R1 product page and parameters","publisher":"Unitree Robotics","url":"https://www.unitree.com/R1","date":"2026-10"},{"title":"China's Unitree launches full-size humanoid at just $5,900, shocks robot market","publisher":"Interesting Engineering","url":"https://interestingengineering.com/innovation/unitree-launches-cheapest-humanoid-robot-r1","date":"2025-07-25"},{"title":"Unitree Robotics introduces new athletic robot option","publisher":"Mugglehead","url":"https://mugglehead.com/unitree-robotics-introduces-new-athletic-robot-option/","date":"2025-07-29"}],"updated":"2026-10-10"},"mera":{"rental_with_operator":false,"sale_in_offer":true,"availability":"confirmation_required","shop_url":"https://merarobots.com/product.html?id=r1"},"url":"https://merarobotics.com/blog/humanoids/unitree-r1","inquiry_url":"https://merarobotics.com/en/start?service=purchase&robot=unitree-r1"}