Unitree H1

What it's for

In 2023 the world saw a humanoid that runs. It does not pick its way carefully, like the first machines of this class; it runs. The Unitree H1 (180 cm, 47 kg) has a measured speed of 3.3 m/s, and the manufacturer states a theoretical potential of up to 5 m/s that has not been independently confirmed. This is a robot whose main argument is dynamics, not payload or autonomy. Peak joint torque density reaches 189 Nm/kg, which is why its movements are so energetic.

Applications. “Universities and research” and laboratories: research on dynamic walking, balance and whole-body control, and reinforcement learning work where a high-power machine is needed. Record-setting and demonstration runs: that is exactly what Unitree itself uses the H1 for. events: a 180 cm robot makes a bigger impression on stage than the smaller G1. We have no data on payload or battery runtime; the battery is 864 Wh, but the manufacturer does not say how many hours it lasts.

The H1 is not suited to factories or logistics: 18 degrees of freedom (“Degrees of Freedom (DOF) in Humanoid Robots”) is little for manipulation, and the lack of a documented payload rules out work with loads. It is a machine for studying movement, not for carrying boxes. Consider it when your subject is how a robot moves, not what it does with its hands.

Who it's for

Yes: a research team working on locomotion and dynamics, since the H1 offers high speed and torque. Yes for centers that build their image around cutting-edge robotics, and for anyone who needs a large, impressive demonstration platform.

No: a company looking for a robot to do work, because a documented payload is missing and 18 degrees of freedom is too few for complex manipulation. Not for people who want the newest model: since October 2025 Unitree's flagship humanoid has been the H2, and the H1 remains on sale as an older model. Not for budgets below several hundred thousand zloty. Not for those who expect a clear price list: the store shows USD 90,000, but the actual price is set individually. Not for teams without experience with large machines: 47 kg of running robot is a real risk, see “Robot Safety Standards”.

Deployments

Worldwide the H1 appears in laboratories and in Unitree's record-setting walking demonstrations. We know of no other publicly documented commercial deployments. For comparison, the humanoid robots category includes models being introduced into industrial plants, which we cover in “Humanoid Robots in Factories 2026”, but the H1 is not among them.

Unitree H2: the successor, at 70 kg, 31 degrees of freedom and a manufacturer store price of USD 29,900, lower than the H1's. We do not know its speed or payload, however.

Unitree H1-2: a version emphasizing payload (about 21 kg) at the expense of speed; price and availability unknown.

Unitree G1 EDU: smaller (132 cm), but with a full SDK and tactile hands; better for manipulation research.

Atlas: 190 cm, 90 kg, 56 degrees of freedom and a 50 kg payload, but 2026 production is reserved for Hyundai and Google DeepMind, so it is practically impossible to buy.

AgiBot A2: 169 cm and about 40 degrees of freedom, from USD 54,999; more versatile, though the data differ between sources.

The H1 is Unitree's first humanoid, unveiled in 2023; the company published the video presenting it in April 2024. In January 2025 Unitree showed it at CES in Las Vegas alongside the G1. The company later added the smaller G1 (on sale since August 2024) and the cheaper R1 (August 2025), and on 20 October 2025 it unveiled the H2, a successor with more degrees of freedom and a lower store price. In August 2026 Unitree listed on the STAR Market in Shanghai. We describe the family's history in “Unitree H1, G1, R1 and H2” and the manufacturer in Unitree Robotics. Market context: “Chinese Humanoid Robots”.