From drones to self-driving cars, most robots today aren’t the humanoid versions imagined in science fiction. One exception is the R1 from China-based Unitree Robotics. Introduced in July with a shockingly low starting price of just $5,900, this bipedal programmable robot caters to researchers, educators, and software developers testing AI and robotics projects. It weighs just 55 pounds, features built-in AI that supports voice recognition and image processing, and has 26 joints (humans have some 300) that have allowed it to wow audiences with complex movements like boxing, running, and even cartwheeling.
