From factory floors to fashion runways: China's Unitree Robotics unveils next-gen humanoid
Unitree Robotics has teased a new humanoid model in a short video on its social media channels, its most humanlike model to date.
In the video, the H2 model performed a series of dexterous dance moves - including perfectly executed pirouettes and arabesques - and sported a strikingly human face modelled in silver with well-defined eyes, lips and nose.
Standing at 180cm - the tallest humanoid robot the company has yet developed - and weighing 70kg, the H2 featured the tagline: "Destiny Awakening - born to serve everyone safely and (in a) friendly (manner)."
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After showcasing its advanced joint flexibility with some kickboxing moves, the robot was seen at the end of the clip strutting down a fashion catwalk beside a human model for comparison.
Unitree Robotics, the Hangzhou start-up and unofficial poster child for China's global robotics sector ambitions, first gained significant attention in 2016 with the release of its XDog quadruped robot, which became an internet sensation and attracted investors.
Unitree Introducing | Unitree H2 Destiny Awakening!🥳 Welcome to this world - standing 180cm tall and weighing 70kg. The H2 bionic humanoid - born to serve everyone safely and friendly. pic.twitter.com/YlCpIeRg2r
- Unitree (@UnitreeRobotics) October 20, 2025
The company has said that it would file initial public offering (IPO) documents in mainland China between October and December, eyeing a valuation of around 50 billion yuan (US$7 billion).
Founder Wang Xingxing outlined a three-stage development road map for Unitree's humanoids in September. The first stage would involve robots performing programmed actions such as martial arts and dances; later phases would see robots respond to real-time commands.
Ultimately, Wang said, the company aimed to develop robots capable of executing simple requests - such as fetching a glass of water or tidying a table - even in unfamiliar environments. He added that more complex tasks, such as device assembly, would likely take several more years to achieve.
Earlier this month, two advanced Unitree models briefly appeared for sale on Walmart's US website, sending ripples through the global robotics community and highlighting stark pricing gaps between markets.
The two models listed were the Unitree G1 humanoid robot and the Go2 Robot Dog. The G1, standing at 130cm and weighing 35kg, was priced at US$21,600 on Walmart, representing a 57 per cent premium over its US$13,500 price tag in mainland China.
The Go2 Robot Dog, a quadruped model, was listed for US$2,399 on Walmart, compared with 9,397 yuan on the Chinese retail site Taobao, operated by Alibaba Group Holding, which owns the Post.
The listings, offered by a third-party vendor called Futurology, marked the first time Chinese humanoid and quadruped robots had been featured on a major US retail platform, but also underscored China's widening lead over US robot makers like Tesla and Boston Dynamics.
The Hangzhou-based robotics company, meanwhile, has been racing to develop cheaper humanoid robots, debuting the R1 humanoid model priced from 39,999 yuan.
This article originally appeared in the South China Morning Post (SCMP) , the most authoritative voice reporting on China and Asia for more than a century. For more SCMP stories, please explore the SCMP app or visit the SCMP's Facebook and Twitter pages. Copyright © 2025 South China Morning Post Publishers Ltd. All rights reserved.
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