This humanoid robotic can do cartwheels, handstands and roundhouse kicks at lower than $6,000

For lower than the value of a totally decked-out MacBook Pro, you should purchase Unitree’s newest humanoid robotic known as the R1. You solely must shell out $5,900 for a robotic that weighs round 55 lbs, stands about 4 toes tall, and is constructed with a Giant Multimodal Mannequin to deal with complicated duties.

If you happen to’re questioning what the R1 will likely be used for, your guess is pretty much as good as ours. Unitree stated its robotic is “totally customizable” and demoed its capabilities in a video exhibiting off cartwheels, handstands, boxing, roundhouse kicks and working downhill, however did not supply examples with any sensible use but. The light-weight robotic has an ultra-wide view and a four-microphone array to assist it acknowledge voices and pictures, however was additionally constructed with Wi-Fi 6 and Bluetooth 5.2 connectivity. It isn’t onerous to examine a world the place individuals program the R1 as a robotic butler to deal with every day chores, very similar to what Meta is reportedly engaged on. Nevertheless, you may even have the ability to sq. up two R1s to combat one another, as evidenced by Unitree selling a unique fighting tournament that felt like a much less aesthetically polished model of 2011’s Actual Metal.

The most recent R1 is a a lot decrease entry level than Unitree’s earlier humanoid robotic, the G1, which begins at $16,000 and was demoed at CES 2025 with considerably disastrous outcomes. Despite the fact that the R1’s sub-$6,000 price ticket is arguably excessive, it is nonetheless less expensive in comparison with different related choices, like Tesla’s Optimus bot that is anticipated to go for no less than $20,000.