Two advanced models from China’s Unitree Robotics briefly appeared for sale on Walmart’s US website, creating a stir in the global robotics community and exposing a striking price difference for American buyers.
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The listings, offered by a third-party vendor called Futurology, marked the first time Chinese humanoid and quadruped robots have been featured on a major US retail platform, underscoring Chinese companies’ lead over US robot makers like Tesla and Boston Dynamics.
The two models listed were the Unitree G1 humanoid robot and the Go2 Robot Dog. The G1, standing at 130cm and weighing 35kg, was priced at US$21,600 on Walmart, representing a 57 per cent premium over its US$13,500 price tag in mainland China. The G1 currently costs “over US$16,000” on the Unitree website.
The Go2 Robot Dog, a quadruped model, was listed for US$2,399 on Walmart, compared to 9,397 yuan (US$1,311) on the Chinese retail site Taobao, operated by Alibaba Group Holding, which owns the Post.
Futurology limited purchases to six-units per customer and offered a five-day delivery window. Although the listings have since been removed from the Walmart website, their search links remain active.
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