Chinese robotics company Unitree has gained significant recognition in the robot dog and humanoid robot space, and many AI development companies can be seen using Unitree’s products as demonstration tools. Most people have probably seen Unitree’s robot dog and humanoid robot Unitree G1 in various advertisements or videos, and recently the Unitree robots even appeared in a performance segment on China’s Spring Festival Gala. Given how frequently they show up online, it might make people think Unitree’s humanoid robots are quite impressive and truly ready for real-world use in daily life. But is that really the case? Unitree recently released a video of the Unitree G1 dancing, and while they probably expected praise for the robot’s dancing skills, netizens turned out to be more concerned about what the Unitree G1 can actually do besides dancing. On top of that, some netizens shared their own experiences as early customers of the Unitree G1 and the problems they encountered, saying that Unitree delayed delivery of the Unitree G1, and after receiving the unit, they discovered the Unitree G1 didn’t even have hands. The official response was that the hands hadn’t been manufactured yet.
Chinese robot brand Unitree Technology sparks controversy! Unitree G1 buyers share their nightmare experiences
Recently, China’s Unitree released the latest news about its humanoid robot, the Unitree G1. Unitree stated that after an algorithm upgrade, the Unitree G1 can now learn any dance, and they welcome netizens to leave comments telling them what dance they’d like to see the Unitree G1 perform.
What Dance Would You Like to Perform with Unitree G1?
With the upgraded algorithm, G1 can learn any dance. Leave a comment to tell us what dance you’d like to see！😘#Unitree #AGI #EmbodiedAI #SpringFestivalGalaRobot #AI #Humanoid #Bipedal #WorldModel #Dance pic.twitter.com/pskis1nycg— Unitree (@UnitreeRobotics) February 14, 2025
Unexpectedly, few people in the comments section said they wanted to see dancing; instead, they were all asking what the Unitree G1 can do besides dancing now.
Last March, Unitree Technology released a promotional video for its newly developed humanoid robot, the Unitree G1, claiming it could manipulate sticks, crack nuts, open glass bottle caps, and flip pans. However, after nearly a year of effort, the Unitree G1 appears to have no other major updates besides walking faster and jumping higher. Its most recent public appearance was at the Chinese Spring Festival Gala, where it performed as a comedian dancing on stage, and the latest update is also about the Unitree G1 now being able to learn any dance—leaving people puzzled about whether it can truly be applied in industrial or household settings.
Unitree H1: Humanoid Robot Makes Its Debut at the Spring Festival Gala 🥰
Hello everyone, let me introduce myself again. I am Unitree H1 “Fuxi”.
I am now a comedian at the Spring Festival Gala, hoping to bring joy to everyone.
Let’s push boundaries every day and shape the future… pic.twitter.com/MsFuIo6BL0— Unitree (@UnitreeRobotics) January 28, 2025
Apart from being questioned about where Unitree G1 can actually be applied, recently on the Chinese social platform Xiaohongshu, there is a person located in the United States.UserSharing his experience of stepping on a landmine with buying Unitree Technology’s robot, this netizen said, “I paid the IQ tax for Unitree’s robot for all of you—it was defective right out of the box.” What exactly happened to make this netizen say that buying a Unitree Technology robot was paying an IQ tax?
This poor netizen (hereinafter referred to as “Bee”) said that after seeing a promotional video for the Unitree G1 on Xiaohongshu last year with a market price of at least 99,000 RMB (about 440,000 NTD), they excitedly placed an order and signed a contract in July last year, becoming one of the first customers for Unitree’s G1. The delivery was originally expected in October, but it kept getting delayed, and it wasn’t until mid-January this year that it finally showed as shipped from Hangzhou, China. Thinking it would arrive soon once shipped, they were surprised to find that Unitree hadn’t actually shipped it at all. Unable to stand it any longer, they asked Unitree to at least send a photo or video so they could know their 99,000 yuan wasn’t money down the drain, but were refused on the grounds that “company policy prohibits taking photos.”
After a long wait, it finally shipped, but right after it shipped, he was told he’d be receiving a Unitree G1 without hands—because the hands hadn’t been produced yet. After communicating, Unitree Technology said, “If you can’t wait, we’ll process a return for you right now,” which made him feel like Unitree is just banking on its current monopoly in the robot market to force consumers into accepting take-it-or-leave-it terms. Now he’s got a Unitree G1 that can only wave, and Bee jokingly calls his Unitree G1 the “Unitree G1 Venus de Milo Edition.”
Besides not receiving a complete product, Bee said the Unitree G1’s battery only lasts about three hours, and with heavy use, it barely lasts two hours—and there’s no way to charge it externally, so the robot often runs out of power mid-training and has to be shut down. Within the first week of receiving the robot, the Unitree G1 fell over five times, leaving it covered in scratches and dents, with considerable damage to its head as well. During normal use, it can’t do much beyond waving its broken arm and walking around. Bee said that while it’s impressive that Unitree Technologies managed to be the first in the world to deliver a production humanoid robot, spending 99,000 RMB (about NT$440,000) on a machine that just waves and acts like an idiot still leaves a bad taste in his mouth.
In summary, while Unitree’s G1 has many people excited about the future of humanoid robots, issues with real-world applications and product delivery have left consumers disappointed. From delayed shipments and missing key components to battery life and stability problems, doubts have arisen over whether the Unitree G1 truly has market competitiveness, or if it’s just stuck at the stage of “being able to dance.” As major tech companies race to invest in humanoid robot development, the future market is bound to offer more options. Whether Unitree can truly make the G1 practical, rather than just an expensive showpiece, is perhaps what consumers care about most.
Source: KOCPC Chinese