- Height
- About 4 ft
- Weight
- About 64 lb
- Runtime
- About 1 hour
Unitree R1
Cheapest walking humanoid you can buy, but it cannot do chores
Researched by Riley Hart · updated Oct 16, 2026
SCORED
We started tracking this price on Oct 16, 2026 and have not found a past sale price yet, so we cannot say if $5,900 is a good deal. Black Friday is Nov 27, 2026, 31 days away, when robots in this category usually get their biggest cuts. Get a price drop alert.
R1 is the only humanoid here you can order and receive now at a published price, and it walks, runs and gets up on its own. It has no working hands in the base model and about an hour of battery, so it is a showpiece and coding platform, not a housekeeper. Buy it for fun or development, not to save time on chores.
Best for: Tech enthusiasts, creators and developers who want a walking humanoid at home today. Skip if: You want help with laundry, dishes or tidying, or are worried about Chinese firmware security.
Specs
- Height
- About 4 ft (1,230 mm standing)
- Weight
- About 64 lb (29 kg) with battery; R1 Air about 60 lb (27 kg)
- Payload
- Not published; Unitree lists about 2 kg max arm joint torque and says arm load varies with posture
- Battery runtime
- About 1 hour; quick release battery
- Hands
- No dexterous hands on R1 Air or R1; optional dexterous hands on R1 EDU
- Autonomy
- Voice and image interaction from a multimodal model; remote control out of the box per RoboStore; SDK programming only on EDU
- Home tasks
- None claimed; Unitree markets agility and interaction. Notebookcheck and Businessonline say it cannot do chores like cleaning or carrying
- Ship date
- Shipping now; RoboStore said in June 2026 that US orders ship within 30 days
3 year cost of ownership
- Robot
- $5,900
- Total
- $5,900
No subscription found. US dealer RoboStore lists R1 Basic at $8,990 and R1 EDU from $15,950.
Status and safety
- US availability
- ● On sale
- Recalls
- ● No Unitree robot recall in the CPSC database as of Oct 26, 2026. Checked daily.
- FCC authorized
- Not checked yet
- Company
- ● Active Chinese maker. On July 28, 2026 the FCC added foreign made humanoid and quadruped robots to its Covered List, blocking new unauthorized models; previously authorized models stay legal. BotInfo reports an R1 FCC ID dated June 22, 2026. Tech Times cites past Unitree firmware backdoor flaws (CVE-2025-2894) and a June 2026 Pentagon designation.
- Warranty
- ● 8 months on R1, 6 months on R1 Air, 12 months on R1 EDU (maker)
Parts and refills for the R1
- Spare battery
$750 at a US dealer; replacement interval not published - Shop on Amazon →
Check the part number matches your model before you order. Affiliate links.
Price history
Tracked dailyTracking started Oct 16, 2026 at $5,900.
Each day adds a point. Turn on a price alert to hear about drops.
Where to buy
- Amazon
- See price →
- Unitree (unitree.com)
- $5,900 →
Affiliate links. We may earn a commission. It never changes our score. Disclosure
Pros
- On sale now from $5,900 at Unitree
- Agile: walks, runs and recovers from falls
- Light enough (about 64 lb) for a home or office
Cons
- No dexterous hands on the base model, so no real chores
- About 1 hour of battery
- Short 6 to 12 month warranty and past Unitree security flaws
What independent reviewers found
- In a "we tried it" piece, found R1 compact and agile, able to walk, run and stand up after a fall, but with fixed hands that cannot pick up, carry or clean, limited torque and about an hour of battery. Called it a demo, education and developer machine, not a domestic assistant.
- Businessonline.it (Marcello Tansini)
Spec history
Checked dailyNo spec changes since we started tracking on Oct 16, 2026.
Email me when R1 gets cheaper
We check prices every morning. One email per real drop, and you confirm your email first.
Own one? Tell us how it holds up
We email owners 3 quick questions now and every 6 months, then show the results here.
Questions buyers ask
Can the R1 do housework?
No. The base R1 has no dexterous hands, and reviewers say it cannot pick up, carry or clean. Unitree markets it for movement and interaction.
Is it legal to buy in the US after the FCC robot rule?
The July 28, 2026 FCC Covered List action blocks new unauthorized foreign robot models, but previously authorized models remain legal. BotInfo reports an R1 FCC ID dated June 22, 2026. Check the FCC ID on the unit you buy.
What does it really cost delivered?
Unitree lists $5,900 before tax and shipping; BotInfo reports $300 to $1,200 shipping plus duties. US dealer RoboStore sells R1 Basic at $8,990 with US shipping.
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