While US tech companies are still setting their vision for a robotic future, a China-based company is already on a mission to mainstream humanoid robots with a $5,900 model. In fact, Unitree Robotics’ latest humanoid robot, called the R1, costs even less than the MG Comet EV. That’s how serious the Chinese robotics firm seems to be about popularising the mass adoption of humanoid robots.In a video posted on the social media platform X, the R1 humanoid robot is seen performing a cartwheel, walking on its “hands,” throwing a punch, lying down and then standing back up, and running down a hill, showcasing how advanced the humanoid robot is. The robot weighs around 25 kg, stands about four feet tall, and is equipped with a Large Multimodal Model to handle complex tasks. The R1 also features an ultra-wide view and a four-microphone array to help it recognize voices and images and supports Wi-Fi 6 and Bluetooth 5.2 connectivity.Also read | Elon Musk unveils video of Tesla’s humanoid robot doing household chores, calls it ‘the biggest product ever’The R1 is the most affordable humanoid robot on the market. The Hangzhou-based unicorn, located in Zhejiang Province, had earlier launched two humanoids: the G1, which stands 130 cm tall and weighs 35 kg, and the H1, which stands 180 cm tall and weighs 47 kg. They are priced starting at 99,000 yuan ($13,838) and 650,000 yuan ($90,858), respectively.China has hundreds of robotics companies, unlike India, that are developing advanced humanoid robots and competing with US tech firms. While Unitree Robotics’ humanoid robot costs just $5,900, the AI community Hugging Face last month unveiled a full-sized, open-source humanoid robot named HopeJR, priced at only $3,000.In the US, billionaire Elon Musk has expressed interest in manufacturing advanced humanoid robots in the future. Tesla’s Optimus robot, which is not yet commercially available, could cost under $20,000 if annual production reaches one million units, though final pricing would depend on market demand.Unitree Introducing | Unitree R1 Intelligent Companion Price from $5900Join us to develop/customize, ultra-lightweight at approximately 25kg, integrated with a Large Multimodal Model for voice and images, let’s accelerate the advent of the agent era!🥰 pic.twitter.com/Q5pmkfFZZa— Unitree (@UnitreeRobotics) July 25, 2025https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js“Our goal is to make a useful humanoid robot as quickly as possible,” Musk said during the launch event in 2022. He added that it could eventually “help millions of people,” but its initial applications will be within Tesla’s car factories.Humanoid robots are among the finest examples of how artificial intelligence can be deployed to create robots, a vision humans have long imagined, such as performing home chores or working in factories. Companies like Boston Dynamics have worked for years on humanoid robots but have so far produced only prototypes. Currently, robots are already widely deployed in factories. However, in homes and restaurants, the use cases have been limited to robots with simpler abilities, like wheeled delivery bots. Previously, Amazon tried its hand at making a home robot called Astro, a household camera-equipped tablet on wheels but it has so far failed to take off.© IE Online Media Services Pvt Ltd