R1 by Unitree Robotics: status and timeline

Lightweight humanoid, 123 cm tall, 25–29 kg, 26 joints, peak 10 m/s. Performs cartwheels, running, dynamic balance recovery. Base $4,900; Pro at ~$16,000, pricing floor for the category.

DeployStage 4 of 5

Shipping in 2026 with backlog. Retail availability expanding globally.

Checked 10 Oct0 updates this week

Milestones

Next · Phased deliveries begin

R1 unveiledSep 2025Complete.
Phased deliveries beginTarget Q2 2026Current milestone.
Global retail expansionTarget Q4 2026Not yet reached.

Upcoming

Q2 2026Phased deliveries begin (next)
Q4 2026Global retail expansion

Current obstacles

Durability at price pointAt $4,900, parts cost is tightly constrained. Durability over hundreds of operating hours depends on conservative wear margins and field reliability.
Compute and autonomyRunning inference (voice, vision, planning) on a 25 kg frame with a 1-hour battery requires efficient algorithms and model quantization.

Physics limits

Weight limits payload capacityAt 25–29 kg total, the robot cannot carry heavy payloads. Anything beyond its own limbs requires external support.
Battery chemistry limits runtimeOne hour of mixed activity is typical for lithium-ion at this scale. Longer deployments require swap or charging infrastructure.
Acrobatics demand energyCartwheels and running expend energy 10× faster than walking. Peak-speed performance drains the battery in minutes.

How it works

4 parts

Compact frame

Lightweight construction

At 25–29 kg, R1 is light enough for safe human interaction and easy transport, yet powerful enough for acrobatic moves.

Active joints

26 driven joints for dynamic motion

Every joint is motorized, enabling cartwheel, running and dynamic balance recovery—feats that require precise real-time control.

AI integration

Onboard Large Multimodal Model

The R1 runs an integrated LMM for voice and image processing, enabling natural human interaction without cloud dependency.

Thermal design

Efficient cooling for sustained performance

Compact form factor requires careful thermal management to keep motors and compute cool during extended tasks.

Spec sheet

Spec	R1
Height	~123 cm^R (reported)
Weight	25–29 kg^E (estimated)
Actively driven joints	26^R (reported)
Peak speed	10 m/s^R (reported)
Battery	Hot-swappable lithium^R (reported)
Runtime per charge	~1 hour mixed activity^R (reported)
Price (base R1)	$4,900^R (reported)
Price (R1 Pro)	~$16,000^E (estimated)

^R reported by the company · ^E our estimate

Peer comparison

Humanoids peers

Spec	R1	Foundation Future Industries Phantom MK-1	Wandercraft Calvin-40	LimX Dynamics LimX Oli
Height	~123 cm^R (reported)	5 ft 9 in^R (reported)	—	165 cm^R (reported)
Weight	25–29 kg^E (estimated)	175-180 lbs^R (reported)	80 kg^R (reported)	Under 55 kg^R (reported)
Runtime per charge	~1 hour mixed activity^R (reported)	—	4 hours^R (reported)	—

^R reported by the company · ^E our estimate

About Unitree Robotics

The team behind R1

Unitree Robotics

Low-cost humanoids and robot dogs

Unitree Robotics makes low-cost robot dogs and humanoids (Go2, G1, H2), sold widely to labs, schools and developers. Founded in 2016 by Wang Xingxing, it listed in Shanghai in August 2026, the first humanoid maker listed in mainland China.

Price leader: the G1 humanoid launched in 2024 at about 99,000 yuan (~$16k), the R1 in 2025 at 39,900 yuan.
Revenue grew from 159M yuan (2023) to about 1.7B yuan (2025), per its IPO filings.
Shares rose 460% on their August 2026 debut, closing at a value of about 342B yuan.

unitree.com (opens unitree.com)Company profile →

Founded: 201610 yrs
Headquarters: China
Status: Public
Listed: 688836 (opens google.com)SSE STAR
Valuation: $47Best. market capAug 2026estimate
Works in: RoboticsHumanoids
Coverage: 5 programs · 13 updateslatest 27d agochecked 25 Sep
Investors: Tencent (opens tencent.com)
People: Wang Xingxing (opens en.wikipedia.org)Founder & CEO

Spec

Height

~123 cm^R (reported)

Weight

25–29 kg^E (estimated)

Actively driven joints

26^R (reported)

Peak speed

10 m/s^R (reported)

Battery

Hot-swappable lithium^R (reported)

Runtime per charge

~1 hour mixed activity^R (reported)

Price (base R1)

$4,900^R (reported)

Price (R1 Pro)

~$16,000^E (estimated)

Spec

Foundation Future Industries Phantom MK-1

Wandercraft Calvin-40

LimX Dynamics LimX Oli

Height

~123 cm^R (reported)

5 ft 9 in^R (reported)

—

165 cm^R (reported)

Weight

25–29 kg^E (estimated)

175-180 lbs^R (reported)

80 kg^R (reported)

Under 55 kg^R (reported)

Runtime per charge

~1 hour mixed activity^R (reported)

—

4 hours^R (reported)

—