Skip to content
ContentLora

    Tip: press / anywhere to search.

    organization

    Unitree Robotics

    Also known as Unitree

    Unitree Robotics is a Chinese robot maker founded in Hangzhou in 2016. It began with four-legged robots and moved into humanoids in 2023.[1][2] It shipped more than 5,000 humanoids in 2025, one of the two largest totals worldwide.[3] Its shares rose more than 460% on their first day of trading in Shanghai on August 19, 2026.[4]

    Editor reviewedUpdated Robotics and embodied AIArtificial intelligence
    Key facts

    Unitree is one of the two largest humanoid robot makers by units shipped. It is part of a Chinese industry that holds an estimated 85% of the global humanoid market.[5][3]

    From robot dogs to humanoids

    Unitree was founded in Hangzhou in 2016 and built quadruped (“robot dog”) robots before entering the humanoid market in 2023.[1][2] Its revenue grew from 123 million yuan in 2022 to 1.69 billion yuan in 2025.[1] Fortune reports that it earns its revenue mainly from research-focused sales.[6] Fortune also reported that almost 45% of 2025 revenue came from overseas sales.[7]

    Products and prices

    As of October 2026 its website listed the G1 humanoid from $13,500 and the smaller R1 humanoid from $4,900.[8] For comparison, Elon Musk guessed in 2022 that Tesla’s Optimus would eventually cost much less than $20,000.[9]

    Volume leader

    About 15,000 humanoid robots were shipped worldwide in 2025. Unitree and AGIBOT each shipped more than 5,000, while US-based Tesla and Figure each shipped a few hundred or fewer.[3] Unitree’s H2 Plus body was also chosen for NVIDIA’s open Isaac GR00T reference humanoid for academic research, which Unitree will sell from late 2026.[10] Research groups including Ai2, ETH Zurich and the Stanford Robotics Center plan to use that design.[11] Chinese makers kept their lead into 2026: Fortune reported that China’s robotics sector accounted for almost all humanoid shipments in the first half of the year.[12]

    IPO

    Unitree won approval in July 2026 for a Shanghai STAR Market listing to raise 4.2 billion yuan.[1] It listed on August 19, 2026, after raising about $900 million at an initial valuation of about $9 billion. Its shares rose more than 460% on the first day.[4] Fortune reported that this left Unitree worth about $66 billion, more than US rival Figure AI‘s $39 billion private valuation.[7] Its backers include Alibaba, Ant Group, Tencent and several state-backed investment funds, according to Fortune.[13]

    US restrictions

    On 28 July 2026 the US Federal Communications Commission added foreign-produced “advanced robotic devices”, defined as mobile robots such as humanoids and quadrupeds, to its Covered List. That bars new models from FCC equipment approval, which in practice blocks new models from being imported, but it does not affect devices already bought or models approved earlier.[14] The underlying national-security finding applies to foreign-made robots from any country, citing supply-chain and cybersecurity risks, including the possibility that robots could be used to surveil Americans or be remotely commandeered.[15][16] Makers can seek an exemption through a Department of War “Conditional Approval”; the first robot exemptions, for Husqvarna and ANSCER Robotics platforms, came in September 2026.[17][18] Fortune reported that the US accounted for 18% of Unitree’s revenue in 2025.[19]

    Open questions

    Analysts quoted by Fortune were divided after the listing. They pointed to continued struggles on the software side and the US restrictions as possible drags on growth.[20] Its sales go mainly to research customers, and its hardware underpins NVIDIA’s open reference humanoid for robot-learning research. See isaac-gr00t and the robotics crash course for that side of the story.[10][6]

    Questions readers ask

    How many humanoid robots does Unitree sell?

    AP reported that Unitree shipped more than 5,000 humanoids in 2025, out of about 15,000 shipped worldwide.[3]

    Is Unitree a public company?

    Yes. It listed on Shanghai's STAR Market on August 19, 2026, and its shares rose more than 460% on the first day.[4]

    Can Unitree robots be sold in the US?

    On 28 July 2026 the FCC added foreign-produced humanoids, quadrupeds and other mobile robots to its Covered List, which blocks new models from approval. Devices already bought and previously approved models are not affected, and makers can seek an exemption through a Department of War "Conditional Approval".[14][17]

    How much does a Unitree humanoid cost?

    As of October 2026 Unitree listed its G1 humanoid from $13,500 and its smaller R1 from $4,900.[8]

    Sources

    Each numbered claim is a statement we checked against the sources listed with it. Status shows how well established it is.

    1. [1]

      Unitree Robotics, founded in Hangzhou in 2016, won approval in July 2026 for a STAR Market IPO to raise 4.2 billion yuan, after growing 2025 revenue to 1.69 billion yuan from 123 million yuan in 2022. confirmedas of 2026-07-03

    2. [2]

      Unitree started with quadruped robots before entering the humanoid market in 2023. confirmedas of 2026-07-03

    3. [3]

      About 15,000 humanoid robots were shipped worldwide in 2025; Unitree and AGIBOT each shipped more than 5,000, while Tesla and Figure each shipped a few hundred or fewer. reportedas of 2026-07-29

    4. [4]

      Unitree's shares rose more than 460% on their first trading day on August 19, 2026, after an IPO that raised about $900 million at an initial valuation of about $9 billion. confirmedas of 2026-08-19

    5. [5]

      China accounts for an estimated 85% of the global humanoid robot market. reportedas of 2026-07-29

    6. [6]

      Fortune reported that Unitree generates revenue primarily through research-focused sales. reportedas of 2026-08-19

    7. [7]

      Fortune reported that after its first-day surge Unitree was worth about $66 billion, more than Figure AI's $39 billion valuation, and that almost 45% of its 1.7 billion yuan 2025 revenue came from overseas. reportedas of 2026-08-19

    8. [8]

      As of October 2026 Unitree listed its G1 humanoid from $13,500 and its smaller R1 humanoid from $4,900. confirmedas of 2026-10-10

    9. [9]

      Tesla showed its first walking Optimus prototype at AI Day in 2022; Elon Musk guessed it would eventually cost much less than $20,000 and that consumer orders were possible within three to five years. confirmedas of 2022-10-01

    10. [10]

      On May 31, 2026 NVIDIA announced the Isaac GR00T Reference Humanoid, an open research design that pairs a Unitree H2 Plus body with Sharpa tactile hands and Jetson Thor compute, to be available from Unitree in late 2026. confirmedas of 2026-05-31

    11. [11]

      Ai2, ETH Zurich, the Stanford Robotics Center and UC San Diego's Advanced Robotics and Controls Laboratory plan to use NVIDIA's reference humanoid. confirmedas of 2026-05-31

    12. [12]

      Fortune reported that China's robotics sector was responsible for almost all humanoid robot shipments in the first half of 2026. reportedas of 2026-08-19

    13. [13]

      Fortune reported that Unitree is backed by Alibaba, Ant Group, Tencent and several state-backed investment funds. reportedas of 2026-08-19

    14. [14]

      On 28 July 2026 the FCC added foreign-produced "advanced robotic devices", defined as mobile robots such as humanoids and quadrupeds, to its Covered List after an interagency national-security determination; the restriction applies to new device models, not to devices already bought or models previously approved. confirmedas of 2026-07-28

    15. [15]

      The national-security determination behind the FCC's robot listing covers foreign-made devices regardless of the country of origin, citing supply-chain and cybersecurity risks. confirmedas of 2026-07-28

    16. [16]

      The robotics determination states that advanced robotic devices collect data that malign actors could use to surveil Americans or to remotely commandeer the robots. confirmedas of 2026-07-28

    17. [17]

      Foreign-produced robots can be exempted from the FCC listing if the Department of War grants them "Conditional Approval" after finding they do not pose unacceptable risks. confirmedas of 2026-07-28

    18. [18]

      In September 2026 the FCC announced the first Conditional Approvals for robots, exempting Husqvarna robotic platforms on 9 September and ANSCER Robotics platforms on 18 September; ANSCER's exemption depends on compliance with an onshoring plan. confirmedas of 2026-09-18

    19. [19]

      Fortune reported that Unitree derived 18% of its 2025 revenue from the United States and that the US ban on new foreign-made humanoid imports is a headwind for it. reportedas of 2026-08-19

    20. [20]

      Fortune reported that analysts' views on Unitree were mixed, citing continued struggles on the software side and the US ban on foreign-made robots as possible drags. reportedas of 2026-08-19

    Revision history (2)
    1. Page created.
    2. Corrected the FCC action date to 28 July 2026 and cited the FCC documents; added exemptions, list prices, post-IPO valuation and backers.

    Created Oct 10, 2026. Last reviewed by an editor on Oct 10, 2026. Next scheduled review: Jan 10, 2027.

    Cite this page

    "Unitree Robotics." ContentLora, updated Oct 10, 2026. https://contentlora.com/wiki/unitree-robotics

    Spotted an error? Suggest a correction or emailcorrections@contentlora.com.

    Keep exploring

    Connections
    NVIDIA Isaac GR00T Supplies body for NVIDIA …NVIDIA Reference-design partnerFigure AI Humanoid competitorTesla Optimus Humanoid competitor
    ☰ Contents