Chinese company's humanoid robot shatters world speed record
- Unitree H1 is a humanoid robot that can run faster than any other robot
- It can also haul stuff around and climb up and down the stairs
- It’s for sale, with an eye-watering price tag
Published on Mar 06, 2024 at 6:23 AM (UTC-5)
by Alessandro Renesis
Last updated on Mar 12, 2024 at 8:09 AM (UTC-4)
Edited by
Adam Gray
Chinese tech firm Unitree has unveiled the world’s fastest humanoid robot.
And the video they’ve shared is every bit as impressive as it is spooky.
READ MORE: Elon Musk shares new video of ‘Optimus’ robot strolling confidently around lab
Unitree Robotics is a tech company based out of Hangzhou, China, about 700 miles south of Beijing.
The company, founded in 2016, specializes in humanoid robots.
But this is by far Unitree’s best and most sophisticated robot.
It’s called H1, it’s roughly 1.80 meters in height (5 foot 11), and it weighs 47 kilograms.
It’s equipped with a depth camera and a 3D LiDAR, which means it is capable of identifying objects and obstacles around it and determining whether they’re just an inanimate object, or a living thing like a person, an animal or even a plant.
More importantly, this is the fastest humanoid robot in the world.
It does 3.3 meters per second, beating the previous record of 2.5 meters per second.
That’s equivalent to around 5.5 km/h.
In addition to its ability to compete as a ‘Marathon’ runner, it can also jump, haul stuff around, and climb up and down some stairs.
And Unitree H1 is actually for sale – it ‘only’ costs $150,000.
To be fair, when Unitree shared a video of the robot to their YouTube channel, people were not particularly impressed.
“The company that creates the first humanoid robot that doesn’t walk like it’s s**t its pants will make billions,” one user said.
“That’s me in the stairs after 20 shots of tequila,” another one echoed.
There’s a lot of competition in this field – even Tesla has unveiled its own robot called ‘Optimus‘.
So far, Tesla and other companies have unveiled robots that can do simple things like for example they can fold clothes and even cook food.
And then of course there’s Boston Dynamics’ athletic robot that can do ‘parkor’, sort of, the super intelligent AI-powered Ameca (pictured above), and of course the robot CEO, Mika.
They all have one thing in common: they’re all a bit spooky.
Alessandro is an automotive journalist with 10 years of experience covering supercars, automotive history, emerging vehicle technology, and luxury transportation. He wrote the first article published on SupercarBlondie.com when the website launched in 2022 and has since built a reputation for insightful reporting across the automotive and transportation industries. His expertise is grounded in hands-on experience. Alessandro has driven every Tesla model ever produced, from the original Roadster to the Cybertruck, and regularly covers the latest developments in electric vehicles and automotive innovation. His passion for transportation extends beyond cars, he has even flown a Boeing 787 Dreamliner simulator in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. His reporting spans everything from classic American muscle cars and rare automotive discoveries to luxury yachts, private aircraft, high-end watches, and cutting-edge vehicle technology. Known for his deep knowledge of automotive history and ability to uncover the stories behind iconic vehicles, Alessandro brings readers a blend of historical context, technical expertise, and first-hand experience.
