A humanoid robot of your own may now be purchased for less than $20,000. Offering customers the opportunity to own one of the “latest” mechanical innovations of our time for a reasonable $16,000, the 4-foot-tall Unitree G1 is Unitree’s latest attempt to capitalize on the robot craze.
If you’re unfamiliar with Unitree, it’s a low-cost robotics solution. The company regularly releases “consumer-grade” robots that are affordable for anyone with the means to purchase them. Now that I’m putting it on paper, it sounds absurd that Unitree refers to the G1 as a “humanoid agent AI avatar.”
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The G1 resembles Boston Dynamics’ Atlas, another humanoid robot, uncannily since it is capable of standing up on its own from the ground. The walk isn’t as sophisticated as what we’ve seen from the Atlas and other “higher-end” robots from other businesses, but given that you can purchase your robot for a mere $16,000, it could make for an awesome party prop for anyone with spare cash.
It’s another matter entirely whether or not the Unitree G1 truly serves any purpose when you buy it. At about four feet tall, it’s a little too short for any kind of household cleaning. Its battery is barely 9,000 mAh. Although it may seem like a lot, especially when considering smartphone battery sizes, you can only use your robot friend for around two hours before having to plug it back in.
The robot can move about and perceive its surroundings thanks to the Livox-MID360 lidar puck and Intel RealSense D435 depth camera. According to Unitree, the G1 has a top speed of 4.4 miles per hour and an “arm maximum load” of about 4.4 pounds. Not one for big lifts, exactly. Nevertheless, if you’re spending $16,000 on your robot, you probably don’t want it to be used for moving your belongings.
The announcement video’s advertising content primarily shows a person striking and kicking a robot, which is adept at maintaining its equilibrium. However, it does a terrible job at cracking nuts, sending the shell and the nut inside flying all over the place.
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There’s just not much of an incentive to buy your robot for $16,000. But you could always pick one up and have it open cokes by pouring it all over your kitchen floor if all you want is bragging rights or to show off your purchase to your buddies. Is a four-foot-tall humanoid avatar not your thing? A robot dog that shoots flames is also available for less than $10,000.
