Affordable humanoid robot: Unitree R1 costs 5900 US dollars
Unitree offers an affordable humanoid robot at a low price. Some compromises have to be accepted.
The Unitree R1 humanoid robot is very well positioned in terms of movement.
(Image: Screenshot/Unitree Robotics)
The Chinese robotics company Unitree Robotics is making entry into the world of humanoid robots more affordable by introducing the R1. The robot is available from 5900 US dollars and is therefore cheaper than the G1, the cheapest entry-level humanoid to date at around 16,000 dollars. Unitree is therefore undercutting itself. At first glance, the R1 appears to be similar to the basic version of the G1 and even more agile. However, the lower price reveals that the R1 robot has made savings in important areas.
The Unitree R1 weighs around 25 kg and is 1.2 m tall, making it around 10 cm smaller than the G1 robot. However, the R1 has 26 degrees of freedom, whereas the G1 only has 23, which means that the R1 is slightly ahead of the G1 in terms of movement. However, the G1 can be ordered in a higher configuration with up to 43 degrees of freedom, but then costs considerably more.
The extra degrees of freedom in the G1 are mainly due to the movable hands. And this is also the first negative point of the R1: its hands are rigid and designed as fixed, open "fists". This means it cannot grip objects, but can only pinch (larger) objects between them. This makes the basic R1 unsuitable for many household or industrial tasks. However, Unitree only offers an optional hand with movable fingers in its extended and more expensive EDU version (Education) for an additional charge. In this version, the R1 can also load its arms with 3 kg each; the standard version is 2 kg.
Limitations in perception
It is unclear whether the R1 can perceive its environment in the same level of detail as the G1. According to the data sheet, the R1 only has an ultra-wide-angle camera. The R1 does not appear to be able to scan its surroundings using lidar, as offered by the G1. This is likely to limit the robot 's use to a greater extent, as it can only detect and estimate distances and objects visually.
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Unitree relies on PMSM (Permanent Magnet Synchronous Motor) as the drive for the actuators. The motors should respond more quickly and therefore be suitable for fast movements. They should also heat up less quickly.
The R1 is also equipped with a loudspeaker and four microphones, for example for speech recognition and output. The robot is controlled by a CPU with 8 cores. The Jetson Orin robot and AI computing unit with 40 to 100 tops from Nvidia is optional and only available for the EDU model.
A battery with an undisclosed capacity provides the necessary energy. It should be able to keep the robot alive for around an hour. This is not very much, so the suitability of the robot for work must also be questioned here. The G1, on the other hand, has a 9000 mAh battery on board, which enables an operating time of two hours.
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The R1 is already available and can initially be ordered on request. The price of the basic version is 5900 dollars, the price for the EDU version is available from Unitree on request. It is unclear when the R1 will be delivered.
(olb)
