Redazione RHC : 2 August 2025 17:02
In the increasingly crowded landscape of humanoid robots, the new Unitree R1 has made headlines not only for its acrobatic capabilities, but above all for its unconventional price: around $5,900 (about €5,500). A surprising price when you consider that previous models—like Unitree’s own G1—ranged up to nearly 99,000 yuan (over €12,000).
But what can the R1 really do? And can we really imagine it as a home assistant?
R1 is approximately 1.21 meters tall, weighs 25 kg, and has 26 degrees of freedom, allowing for complex and fluid movements: somersaults, punches, spinning kicks, even handstands. All thanks to a combination of high-torque motors, advanced joints, and an artificial intelligence module capable of recognizing voice, images, and responding to commands.
Integrates:
Here comes the (partial) disappointment:
Those who really want to try turning it into a household helper should look at the EDU version, which features tactile hands and a more powerful computing module, but at a higher price.
The R1 is not (yet) the robot butler we dream of, but it has enormous potential:
The real selling point of the R1 is the price: less than $6,000 means that startups, researchers, and makers can finally get their hands on a programmable humanoid, without having to invest six figures.
Furthermore, Unitree has demonstrated that it is possible to design complex robots at relatively affordable costs, accelerating a race that could profoundly transform markets such as:
The Unitree R1 today is more of a stage performer than a domestic one. But if we look at the speed with which the Chinese company is improving its design and prices, we can imagine a not-too-distant future in which having a humanoid robot at home will no longer be science fiction, but an affordable reality.
For now, anyone who wants to try cooking or cleaning will have to arm themselves with patience, a lot of code… and probably some hardware upgrades.
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