For lower than the value of a totally decked-out MacBook Professional, you should purchase Unitree’s newest humanoid robotic known as the R1. You solely should shell out $5,900 for a robotic that weighs round 55 lbs, stands about 4 toes tall, and is constructed with a Giant Multimodal Mannequin to deal with advanced duties.
In case you’re questioning what the R1 might be used for, your guess is pretty much as good as ours. Unitree mentioned its robotic is “absolutely customizable” and demoed its capabilities in a video displaying off cartwheels, handstands, boxing, roundhouse kicks and working downhill, however did not provide examples with any sensible use but. The light-weight robotic has an ultra-wide view and a four-microphone array to assist it acknowledge voices and pictures, however was additionally constructed with Wi-Fi 6 and Bluetooth 5.2 connectivity. It isn’t onerous to check a world the place individuals program the R1 as a robotic butler to deal with each day chores, very like what Meta is reportedly engaged on. Nonetheless, you would possibly even have the ability to sq. up two R1s to battle one another, as evidenced by Unitree selling a novel preventing match that felt like a much less aesthetically polished model of 2011’s Actual Metal.
The most recent R1 is a a lot decrease entry level than Unitree’s earlier humanoid robotic, the G1, which begins at $16,000 and was demoed at CES 2025 with considerably disastrous outcomes. Although the R1’s sub-$6,000 price ticket is arguably excessive, it is nonetheless less expensive in comparison with different comparable choices, like Tesla’s Optimus bot that is anticipated to go for at the very least $20,000.
