Unitree Robotics, which is gearing up for an initial public offering (IPO), unveiled its R1 humanoid model priced from 39,999 yuan (US$5,900), making it affordable for individual developers and consumers.
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Marketed as “born for sport”, the R1 was seen doing a cartwheel, walking on its “hands”, throwing a punch, lying down then standing up, and running down a hill, according to a video posted on Chinese social media on Friday.
The machine weighs 25 kilograms and features 26 joints. The company has not disclosed other details.
The R1 is the cheapest humanoid robot from the Hangzhou, Zhejiang province-based unicorn. Two earlier models, the G1 which stands 130cm tall and weighs 35kg, and the H1 at 180cm and weighing 47kg, start at 99,000 yuan and 650,000 yuan, respectively.
These prices are cheaper than offerings from Chinese rivals. In March, Hong Kong-listed UBTech Robotics released a life-size humanoid robot for research purposes, priced at 299,000 yuan. Shenzhen-based EngineAI’s PM01 model, released in December, was on sale for 88,000 yuan as of the end of March, but it is only 138cm tall.
Outside China, Tesla’s general-purpose Optimus robot, which is not yet commercially available, could cost more. On an earnings call in January, CEO Elon Musk said the robot’s production cost could be under US$20,000 if annual output reached 1 million units, although final pricing would be determined by market demand. The company aimed to produce several thousand units this year, he said at the time.