Unitree's R1 Humanoid Robot Brings the Cost of Advanced Robotics Hardware Down to Less Than USD$6000 (Robot Uprising Update)

Unitree's R1 Humanoid Robot. The first humaniod
robot prices under USD$6000.

Chinese robotics developer, Unitree, has launched the Unitree R1 Robot, an advanced humanoid machine, for under USD$6000.

Standing at 5'5", this very agile robot walks with a very natural 'human' gait, and can easily perform cartwheels or get up from a fall.

It is controlled by AI and is capable of conversation but also comes with a remote control (so you can turn it off if it starts asking about someone named 'Sarah Connor').

Rather than me describe it, watch AI Revolution's video (below) to see it in action and hear their take on why this robot is a big deal.

China’s New AI Robot Is So Good and Cheap It’s Scary: Unitree R1 - AI Revolution

You'll notice that the robot doesn't have proper, human like hands, but apparently this is an option you can purchase as an extra (dexterous hands are listed as 'optional' on educational versions of the robot on Unitree's website). I'm guessing they would probably push the overall price up considerably.

While I don't think this robot is intended for the average consumer, the low cost could put a fairly advanced machine within the reach of developers who don't have the budget to manufacture hardware but can push the boundaries of the software and AI used to control such robots.

I particularly see this robot as a good base for a companion robot that can perform light duties and be a friend to talk to. Could even be the base for a robot like C3-PO in Star Wars, who was primarily a language communication and interpreter robot.

Regardless, Unitree is moving us a step closer to everyone being able to afford a personal robot assistant. Just make sure your robot doesn't have any red 'activation' lights installed, and isn't capable of being centrally controlled by a single AI that wants to protect humans from themselves!