Unitree R1
Lightweight 1.23 m bipedal humanoid priced for individual developers, students and hobbyists, with voice and image interaction through a multimodal model.
Sold on Unitree's official store from US$4,900 (R1 Air) and US$5,900 (R1).
Good humanoid robot (67/100). It stands out most for availability (100/100). Highlight: very low entry price. Main trade-off: about 1 hour runtime.
Score breakdown
Rated across 6 criteria
Specifications
- Availability
- Shipping
- Degrees of freedom
- 26
- Payload
- 2 kg
- Runtime
- 60 min
- Height
- 123 cm
- Weight
- 29 kg
- Locomotion
- Bipedal
- Main use
- Research
- Made in
- China
- Year
- 2025
- SDK
- Closed
- Swappable battery
- Yes
- Announced price
- US$5,900
Specs checked September 2026. Sources: unitree.com, shop.unitree.com, scmp.com. A missing value has not been published by the maker.
Pros
- Very low entry price
- Light at about 29 kg
- Quick-release battery
Cons
- About 1 hour runtime
- No hands on base model
- SDK only on EDU version
Owner reviews
A strong humanoid robot with real strengths
In our independent assessment, the Unitree R1 earns 67/100 — a good humanoid robot.
Its strongest area is availability (100/100), followed by mobility (dof) (80/100). In practice, very low entry price.
The main caveat is payload, where it scores 60/100. Specifically, about 1 hour runtime.
At €5070, it sits below the typical price for the category — strong value. A dependable pick if its strengths line up with your priorities.
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Sign in to write a reviewFrequently asked questions
Can I actually buy a humanoid robot?
Yes, but mostly research and developer models (Unitree, Booster, EngineAI and others) that ship today. Most general-purpose humanoids are still in paid pilots, pre-order or prototype: check the Availability line before you plan around one.
How much does a humanoid robot cost?
Small developer humanoids start at a few thousand euros; full-size research platforms start around 17,000 € and advanced ones reach about 100,000 € or more. Industrial humanoids are usually sold or leased on quote, so no public price is listed.
What can humanoids do today?
Current models walk, balance, carry modest payloads and perform scripted, learned or teleoperated tasks. Fully autonomous household help is still emerging.
What do degrees of freedom (DoF) tell me?
Each DoF is one joint axis the robot can move. More DoF, especially in the hands, means more dexterous manipulation, but also more to calibrate and maintain.
Do they come with an SDK?
Research-focused humanoids ship with an open SDK or ROS support for programming and experiments; commercial units are typically locked to the vendor's software.
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