The Chinese company Unitree Robotics is a relatively new player in the market of manufacturers of general-purpose humanoid robots. However, its new bipedal robot G1, worth $16,000, according to the manufacturer, is already ready for mass production.
Image source: Unitree Robotics
Until December last year, Unitree Robotics only produced four-legged robot dogs, Go2 and B2. When the manufacturer unveiled its first humanoid robot, the $90,000 H1, in March of this year, it faced stiff competition from companies like Boston Dynamics, Fig, Sanctuary AI and Tesla.
However, in just a few months the company has made significant progress. And by May, Unitree Robotics presented the G1 robot model costing “only” $16,000. Unlike its predecessor, G1 received a full-fledged “head” in a helmet and an illuminated “face” with a set of 3D LiDAR sensors and a depth camera. G1 humanoid robotic arms demonstrate a wide range of skills. The robot learns in a simulated environment using reinforcement learning and copying the skills of its airborne counterparts.
According to the company, so far the team of engineers has optimized the robot’s capabilities in order to prepare it for mass production. A new video released by the company shows how G1 can jump on one leg, around himself, “Mario style”, walk very quickly, practically jog, go up and down stairs, climb over obstacles of varying heights, and also maintain balance.
From a technical point of view, the G1 has not changed since its announcement. However, updated software taught him to perform new tricks. The robot is still 1.32 m tall and can be folded to dimensions of 690 x 450 x 300 mm for carrying in a box. The weight of the machine is 35 kg.
The robot is also equipped with multiple microphones with active noise reduction, understands voice commands and uses a 5W speaker to respond to these requests. The robot has a removable 9000 mAh battery, one charge of which lasts for about two hours. The joints of the machine offer a total of 23 degrees of freedom and allow the robot to move at speeds of up to 2 meters per second (7.2 km/h).
As mentioned above, the Unitree G1 humanoid robot starts at $16,000. While the company says it is ready for mass production, it does not specify when mass production will actually begin.