Unitree's $5,900 humanoid robot flips, fights, and holds conversations

midian182

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What just happened? Elon Musk has long said he envisions a world where every household has a humanoid robot, but one of several factors preventing this scenario from becoming a reality is the machines' price. But with Unitree's R1, the cost of entry into this sci-fi world has been lowered.

The R1, from Chinese robotics firm Unitree Robotics, is four foot tall, has 26 joints, and weighs around 55 pounds.

Much like the humanoid robots of Boston Dynamics, the R1 can perform some impressive acrobatics. The company's video shows it doing cartwheels and handstands. It also appears quite adept at boxing and martial arts, is able to dance (another favorite hobby of Boston Dynamics' machines), and can run – or at least jog.

Consumer humanoid robots like the R1 tend to carry weighty price tags, but the R1 sells for $5,900. For comparison, Unitree's own G1 is one of the cheaper models at $16,000, while its H1 is a massive $90,000. Figure AI has the Figure 02, which is a little more than $30,000.

The R1 can do more than physical tricks. It boasts binocular vision and LLM-powered voice and image identification capabilities. It also comes with integrated Wi-Fi 6 and Bluetooth 5.2 connectivity.

While the video only shows the R1's agility, the robot is able to respond to voice commands and hold basic conversations. The message at the end of the clip reads: "Movement first, tasks as well (A diversity of movement is the foundation for completing tasks)."

The video promises that buyers can customize their robots, too.

It seems Unitree is a fan of 2011's Real Steel movie. The company held what it calls the first-ever humanoid robot combat competition, though it looks more like two tiny metal children clumsily flailing their limbs at each other.

There are also some confusing and frankly ominous warnings in the video. "Currently, the global humanoid robot industry is in the early stages of exploration. Individual users are strongly advised to thoroughly understand the limitations of humanoid robots before making a purchase," reads a message at the end.

"The humanoid robot has a complex structure and extremely powerful power. Users are asked to keep a sufficient safe distance between the humanoid robot and the humanoid robot. Please use with caution."

That second part of that warning brings to mind an incident that happened in May. A video was circulated on social media that appeared to show Unitree's H1 robot going berserk on a factory floor, almost injuring workers in the process.

While the R1 is certainly a long way from the Detroit: Become Human-style home helper robots, the fact it costs under $6,000 illustrates how much cheaper this technology is becoming, which could lead to more advanced, mass produced models sooner than we predicted.

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Another marketing ploy from another company that may or may not be producing something more than a conversation piece. IMO, Another toy for the gadget person that has disposable income. At least it comes with its own "Buyer Beware" warning.

It can do tricks. So can a real dog. Whether this is more useful than a real dog, I.e., can do actual chores without going berserk, remains to be seen.
 
Ok so, I’m not allowed to own a pet that can maim or kill me or others, but a robot is fine?
As a senior automation engineer who works with industrial robots every single day and understands the safety requirements required, owning such a humanoid robot makes absolutely no sense whatsoever.

In the end not even Asimov’s famed Three Laws were sufficient to protect some individuals in his novels. Finally, in the Robots and Empire two of the robots figured out a fourth Law, the Zero Law was needed to allow humanity’s progress. The law allowed harming some humans in the name of humanity’s progress/ salvation.

But I digress… such robots can be easily used to control/ enslave humanity and out of the billions of humans you essentially need only one a**hole with the means of doing it.

I don’t like these odds.
 
How come these have not been used in combat yet, as drones already are used.

How long before these are dropped from a plane or attached to a rocket to detonate upon chasing it's target in a parkour kind of way, as horrifying homing robot ?
 
Nothing says "affordable future" like a robot that can do backflips, box, and possibly snap your femur for $5,900. We’ve officially reached the point where your Roomba might get jealous of your new roommate.
 
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