Unitree IPO to Mark a First For China's Robotics Sector --- Humanoid-robotics company is set to go public in Shanghai on Wednesday

“A coming listing by humanoid-robot startup Unitree could unleash a fundraising frenzy across China's robotics sector, with the debut serving as a key test of market appetite.

 

Hangzhou-based Unitree, officially known as Yushu Technology, is set to become the first humanoid-robotics company to trade on the mainland when it goes public on Shanghai's Nasdaq-like STAR Market on Wednesday.

 

"Unitree's IPO is significant because it provides an important A-share valuation benchmark for embodied AI and humanoid robotics," Morningstar analyst Kangyuxiao Li said.

 

The offering has drawn huge demand and could pave the way for more IPOs.

 

Retail investors have rushed to secure shares, submitting 9.8 million orders -- more than memory chip maker CXMT's blockbuster offering drew last month.

 

Unitree said the retail tranche of its offering was more than 5,500 times subscribed.

 

Other Chinese robotics firms trade in Hong Kong, but Unitree's listing gives mainland investors direct exposure to one of the sector's leading companies, Li said, adding that it could influence the valuations of future robotics IPOs and private companies.

 

About 20% of Unitree shares on offer have been allocated to strategic investors including AI lab DeepSeek, and the investment arms of major state-owned enterprises such as China Southern Power Grid.

 

As Beijing channels resources into sectors like robotics, Unitree has emerged as a homegrown champion in humanoid robots.

 

Backed by tech heavyweights like Meituan and venture-capital firm HSG, the startup captured national attention when its humanoid robots performed a folk dance during a Lunar New Year Gala broadcast last year.

 

Unitree has raised $900 million after pricing shares at 150.80 yuan apiece, implying a valuation of about $9.1 billion.

 

Founded in 2016, the company specializes in developing robots that walk and run like humans. On Monday, it announced its latest creation: the "SuperMan Robot", which can jump 2 meters (more than six feet) from a standstill and hit a peak running speed of 12.66 meters per second, both surpassing human world records.

 

Unitree has been steadily growing revenue and profits over the years, but its bottom line has come under pressure from ballooning research-and-development expenses.

 

Revenue surged 68% in the first quarter of this year, while adjusted net profit slumped more than 50% because of R&D costs.

 

Unitree's profit is likely to drop further in the near term as it invests more to develop "brains" for robots, an area it hasn't poured much money into yet, Counterpoint Research's Wei Sun said.” [1]

 

Any Unitree's robots that can do household chores? How much does it cost?

 

Yes, Unitree’s robots are heavily marketed as being able to do household chores, but they are not yet out-of-the-box turnkey home assistants. The primary model capable of these tasks is the Unitree G1 Humanoid Robot, which has a starting price of $13,500 directly from the manufacturer.

While Unitree frequently releases promotional videos showing the G1 executing impressive tasks like cracking nuts, making toast, opening bottles, and folding laundry, buying the basic retail version will not automatically clear your kitchen counters.

Here is how the pricing, models, and real-world capabilities break down:

Unitree G1 Configurations

•           Unitree G1 Basic ($13,500 - $16,000): This is the base consumer version. It features 23 degrees of freedom (DoF) and includes basic AI functionality, but it does not support secondary programming or software development. It mostly serves as a pre-programmed showcase of the hardware's balance and basic agility.

•           Unitree G1 EDU ($43,500 - $73,900): If you actually want to program custom behaviors (like vacuuming or serving drinks), you have to step up to the developer-focused EDU model. This version increases the joints up to 43 DoF, includes highly dexterous robotic hands, and grants access to the SDK.

Alternative Budget Model

•           Unitree R1 ($4,900 - $5,900): Unitree also offers an ultra-affordable humanoid called the R1. While it is a marvel of low-cost engineering, the base model completely lacks hands/grippers and cannot perform physical household manipulation.

The Reality Check

The vast majority of Unitree’s humanoid sales (around 74%) go strictly to universities and AI developers. In the current state of consumer robotics, every chore you see a humanoid perform in a promo video has been carefully trained via reinforcement learning or manually scripted. The robots still lack the generalized "brain" efficiency to understand a vague command like "go clean up the messy living room" on their own. Furthermore, active battery life is typically limited to about 1 to 2 hours before needing a swap or a charge.

 

Is the AI used in Unitree G1 EDU open weights?

 

Yes, Unitree provides open-source embodied AI models, datasets, and development frameworks for the Unitree G1 and EDU platforms.

Open-Source AI Offerings

•           Models & Frameworks: Unitree shares mainstream imitation learning models (like Diffusion Policy and ACT) and frameworks such as unitree_il_lerobot for secondary development.

•           Datasets: Publicly available data includes manipulation datasets for the G1 gripper and dexterity hands.

•           Locomotion & Control: Research stacks and motion tracking datasets allow developers to modify and retrain control policies.

 

1. Unitree IPO to Mark a First For China's Robotics Sector --- Humanoid-robotics company is set to go public in Shanghai on Wednesday. Qu, Tracy.  Wall Street Journal, Eastern edition; New York, N.Y.. 19 Aug 2026: B4.