Unitree CEO Predicts R1 Will Be a Bestseller, Teases Larger 1.8-Meter Humanoid

Unitree Aims for Market Dominance with New Humanoid Robots

Unitree Robotics is making a bold play for the top of the humanoid robot market, with founder and CEO Wang Xingxing recently predicting the company's new R1 model will become the world's best-selling humanoid robot in the coming year. Speaking at the fourth Global Digital Trade Expo in Hangzhou, Wang also confirmed that a new, larger 1.8-meter humanoid is slated for release in the second half of this year, signaling an aggressive two-pronged strategy targeting both affordability and high performance.

The R1: An Accessible Platform for the Masses?

Released this past summer, the Unitree R1 is a lightweight humanoid designed to significantly lower the barrier to entry for developers and researchers. Standing 1.2 meters tall and weighing around 25 kg, the R1 is priced starting at ¥39,900 (approximately $5,500 USD), a fraction of the cost of most competing platforms.

The robot features 26 degrees of freedom (DOF) and integrates multi-modal large models for voice and image processing, aiming to simplify development. While the R1 is primarily remote-controlled out of the box, Unitree offers an educational version that supports secondary development via ROS 2, allowing users to build their own autonomy features. The company has showcased the R1’s agility with videos of it performing handstands and side flips.

This push for accessibility comes as the company continues to innovate rapidly. However, this speed has not been without its challenges. As detailed by us earlier today, Unitree has faced scrutiny over security vulnerabilities and unsolicited data transmission in its products, raising important questions about the balance between swift development and robust security protocols.

A Taller, More Agile Successor to the H1

Alongside its ambitions for the R1, Unitree is preparing to unveil a more advanced, full-sized humanoid. The company has been teasing a new 1.8-meter (5' 11") model that appears poised to be a successor or a more agile counterpart to its flagship H1 robot.

Teaser images suggest a sleeker, more elegant design than the industrial frame of the H1. The upcoming robot reportedly boasts 31 degrees of freedom, a significant increase from the H1's 23 DOF, which could translate to more fluid and complex movements. While the H1 made headlines for its raw power and speed—winning multiple medals at the World Humanoid Robot Games—this next-generation model appears to signal a shift in focus toward greater dexterity and refinement.

A Rapidly Growing Industry

Wang's confident statements reflect the explosive growth of China's domestic robotics industry, which he noted has seen average growth rates between 50 and 100 percent in the first half of the year. Unitree itself is positioning for a major expansion, with reports indicating the company is preparing for an IPO filing between October and December.

By targeting both the high-end performance market with its upcoming 1.8-meter robot and the mass market with the aggressively priced R1, Unitree is clearly aiming to capture a significant share of the rapidly evolving humanoid landscape. The success of this strategy will depend not only on the hardware's capabilities but also on the company's ability to build a robust and secure software ecosystem for the developers it hopes to attract.