Folks often joke about the so-called “robot uprising,” but a new video of Unitree’s advanced G1 robot pulling some kung fu moves could well wipe the smile off their faces.
Shared on Tuesday, the 15-second clip shows a baton-wielding human retreating from a robot that then kicks the baton clean out of his hand. Let’s just say that again: a baton-wielding human retreating from a robot.
If that’s not enough to cause your face to start twitching, the footage is not sped up in any way, with the robot moving effortlessly along like a kind of plastic-covered Bruce Lee.
It was only a week ago that Unitree Robotics posted a video of G1 performing an array of kung fu moves, but this latest clip shows it actually taking on a human. And winning.
At the end of its videos, Unitree is even adding the message: “We kindly request that all users refrain from making any dangerous modifications, or using the robot in a hazardous manner.” A hazardous manner? What, like programming them to head for military installations and communication hubs? Well, fingers crossed, eh.
The robot’s impressively nimble movement has been made possible by a new algorithm created by Unitree. It also comes with 3D LiDAR and depth cameras for environmental perception and navigation.
The Chinese company showcased the latest version of its G1 humanoid robot at CES 2025 in January.
The base model of the G1 is priced at $16,000, making it relatively affordable compared to other humanoid robots. The Figure 02 humanoid robot, for example, comes with a $59,000 price tag, while Tesla’s Optimus, also known as the Tesla Bot, could cost as much as $30,000.
Unitree is forecasting a breakthrough in humanoid robotic capabilities some time next year, with more clear-cut commercial uses emerging in the next five years. While humanoid robots have come a long way in recent years, experts suggest that broad applications, which presumably include some form of robot takeover, are likely to be at least a few years away. Which is good to know.
