Unitree Robotics has launched its latest humanoid robot, the Unitree R1, with a starting price just below €6,000. Priced at 39,900 Chinese yuan (around $5,900 or €5,500), the R1 is among the lowest-priced humanoid robots currently available, aimed at researchers, developers, and robotics enthusiasts.
The R1 stands 121 centimeters tall and weighs approximately 25 kilograms. It features 26 degrees of freedom, enabling it to perform a variety of movements including walking, running, cartwheels, boxing motions, and even handstands. Video demonstrations released by Unitree show the robot performing these dynamic tasks, although it is not yet clear how much of this behavior is autonomous versus remotely controlled or pre-scripted.
The robot includes a range of sensors and computing hardware: a binocular depth camera setup, an 8-core processor with GPU, voice and image recognition, a microphone array, speakers, and a removable battery with a runtime of about one hour. These specifications support real-time interaction and basic task execution, but Unitree emphasizes that the robot is still under development and the final version may differ from current prototypes.
Unitree describes the R1 as a platform for education and research. While it is not advertised for direct consumer or commercial use, the low entry price may attract institutions and developers looking to explore humanoid robotics without the high costs typically associated with this field. For comparison, Unitree’s previous models, such as the G1 and H1, are priced at approximately €15,000 and €90,000 respectively.
The company has not provided a shipping date but is currently accepting preorders via its website. It also notes that users should be aware of technical limitations and ongoing product adjustments. Despite these caveats, the launch of the R1 reflects growing momentum toward more accessible humanoid platforms in a market where most competitors still focus on high-end prototypes and research collaborations.
Other companies working on humanoid robots, including Tesla and Figure, have not yet introduced models in this price range. The R1’s release will likely serve as a test case for demand at the lower-cost end of the humanoid robotics spectrum, especially as developers evaluate its capabilities for real-world experimentation.
