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Unitree is doing with robots what DJI did with drones: becoming inevitable

June 10, 2026 by usatoday24

Not long ago we marveled at what quadruped robots were capable of doing. Today, humanoid robots monopolize all the spotlights and the stunts they are capable of performing left on the floor what seemed impressive to us at the time. Although There are several companies in the humanoid robot race, There is one that is leading this transformation and is one step away from gaining global dominance: Unitree Robotics. Its strategy closely follows what other giants such as DJI or BYD did previously. 10,000 units. It is the key figure to understand Unitree’s advantage in the emerging market for humanoid robots. Tesla and Figure have surprised us by showing what their robots are capable of, but neither has achieved something key: putting them on sale en masse. According to Semianalysisin the coming weeks Unitree will have distributed 10,000 units of its robots. Unstoppable growth. The Unitree empire began with quadruped robots and it was not until 2023 when they introduced their first humanoid, the Unitree H1. The financial growth of recent years perfectly reflects this explosion: in 2022 they invoiced 122 million yuan (about 15.5 million euros) and in 2025 they invoiced 1,167 million yuan in the first nine months alone, almost 150 million euros. The combination of high-performance solutions at competitive prices has made Unitree the first company to begin to democratize a technology that until recently was the realm of science fiction. The path that DJI started. What Unitree is doing with robotics is the same thing that DJI did with drones. In 2013, DJI Phantom launcheda very cheap and incomplete product, but at that time the alternatives were toy drones or professional drones with a much higher cost, DJI was creating the market for consumer drones. With each new generation they added functions and opened more submarkets, from research, photo and video professionals and of course amateurs. Vertical integration. It is the key strategy of DJI and other Chinese giants such as BYD. It is about controlling the supply chain as much as possible, manufacturing critical components in a way that allows them to technically iterate much faster and, in the long run, drastically reduce costs. In addition, DJI took advantage of the huge Chinese electronics ecosystem, in which prices dropped a lot in a short time. They say in Semianalysis that GPS went from costing 800 dollars in 2003 to less than 14 dollars in 2013flight controllers cost $2,000 in 2006 and only $400 in 2011. DJI started by manufacturing the largest and most complex component, the flight controller, and BYD made the same with batteries. This is how they ate up the market, controlling critical components and creating a cost structure unattainable by any competitor. Unitree’s strategy. The company, which by the way was founded by a former DJI employeeis following DJI’s lead in that they manufacture the critical component (the actuator, which is what is responsible for moving the robot’s limbs) and have opened new markets for robotics. First they perfected and they made quadrupeds cheaperand then they made the leap to humanoids. Its first model, the Unitree H1, cost about $90,000, but today the Unitree G1 can be had for only $13,500. They have encountered many problems along the way, such as overheating when the robot held weight for a few minutes, but controlling many of the key parts has allowed them to quickly iterate and solve it. In other words, it may not be the best robot, it is its ability to improve it that is unrivaled. The Pentagon blockade. Just yesterday we said that The US has added more Chinese companies to its blacklistamong which is Unitree. The reason they have given is that they consider it to be directly linked to the Chinese army. Being on this list means that, from now on, the Pentagon is prohibited from contracting directly with these companies and starting next year they will not be able to do so through third parties either. All of the companies on the list compete directly with other American companies, so there seems to be an intention to slow their progress. Maybe they’ll be late. Image | Xataka with Magnific In Xataka | Humanoid robotics are striking, but China is clear about which robots make money

The Pentagon includes BYD, Unitree, Alibaba and other Chinese giants on its blacklist. It’s taking away competition with cannon shots

June 9, 2026 by usatoday24

The river already sounded at the end of 2025: the Pentagon agreed that Chinese giants like Alibaba, BYD and Baidu They were linked to the Chinese Army. It was unclear at the time whether the companies would be included on the Pentagon’s 1260H list, but it was clearly a warning and came just three weeks before Donald Trump and Xi Jinping agreed to a trade truce. It seemed like things had calmed down, especially with more recent moves like the opening of the market for Nvidia can sell its GPUs H200 for AI or Donald Trump’s visit to China (accompanied by several CEOs of American companies) to ease tensions and maintain a fine balance in that trade truce. But it turns out not and, as they point in Reuters, Alibaba, BYD and Baidu are the new Chinese companies on the Pentagon’s list. And they are not the only ones. Many more Chinese companies on the Pentagon’s blacklist The update of the known list 1260H It had been expected for a long time. The November thing was a warning, but not a real update. It is now, one month after Donald Trump’s diplomatic visit to Beijing, that the Pentagon has launched the new version that reflects interesting changes. Because we have mentioned Alibaba, BYD and Baidu as companies that join that selector ‘club’ of companies for which there are still no direct sanctions, but there is a clear consequence: starting at the end of this month, the United States Department of Defense will have prohibited from contracting directly with any of these companies. And… what are they? Well, it turns out that there are a lot, and from all sectors. Alibaba and Baidu are two Internet giants (like putting Amazon and Google on the list respectively, wow), but there are also the aforementioned BYD -cars and batteries-, CXMT and YMTC -semiconductors and RAM memory-, Unitree and RoboSense -robotics- or WuXi AppTec -biotechnology-. It is a very curious list because they are companies that are competing, directly, against American or Taiwanese companies. For example, we have recently told how the technology industry is looking so much at CXMT like YMTC for get a RAM memory which they cannot access through traditional means due to the component crisis. The United States and China are immersed in the war over robotics and Unitree is one of the most advanced in both humanoid and quadruped robots (something China is exploring for military use). Precisely, Nvidia announced that it was going to work closely with Unitree for the development of robots. And then there is China BlueChemical Limited, a subsidiary of state oil company CNOOC, and Baicells, which makes telecommunications equipment. As we say, there are no consequences in the form of direct sanctions on these companies or with pressure like what happens with Huawei, but according to US law, the Department of Defense will not be able to make deals with these companies starting this month and, starting in 2027, it will not be able to buy their products or services through third parties. What do Chinese companies say? As we read so much in Reuters as in GuardianAlibaba considers that it is something that has no basis because “Alibaba is not a Chinese military company nor part of any military-civil fusion strategy”, ensuring that they will take “all available legal actions against attempts to tarnish the company”. Baidu, for its part, also rejection the measure, ensuring that “the suggestion that Baidu is a military company is completely unfounded”, noting that they will not hesitate to “use all immediate measures to be removed from the list.” This is something that WuXi AppTec has also responded to and it is possible to get off that list, but only if they withdraw from the United States or if they change the name of the entity. “These Chinese companies are working with the Chinese military against our national interests” – John Moolenaar From the Pentagon it is stated that publicly traded companies have ballots to be classified as “Chinese military companies”, although they can request their removal from the list, according to Pentagon representatives. House Select Committee Chairman Joihn Moolenaar was somewhat more direct, noting that updating the list “It’s a warning to American companiesall levels of government and for the American people themselves”, ensuring that “these Chinese companies are working with the Chinese military against our national interests.” In Reuters, Craig Singleton, an expert on relations with China, points out that Washington no longer treats Chinese companies as isolated entities, but as a strategic conglomerate that is part of an arm of the Chinese government. In Xataka | A Chinese company has been building AI for years to predict who is going to criticize the government before they do so

Hangzhou is the city of DeepSeek, Alibaba and Unitree without any of the typical Silicon Valley ingredients. His secret is another

October 19, 2025 by usatoday24

Hangzhou, a city of 12 million inhabitants 180 km south of Shanghai, is home to a striking number of powerful technology companies: Seven reference technologies (the six ‘little dragons’ plus the giant Alibaba) in a city that does not have any of the elements considered essential in Silicon Valley: Abundant venture capital. Leading universities. Links between university and industry. And a robust industrial structure. How could you then Hangzhou emerge well? The facts. Venture capital is plummeting in China. Funds in yuan have fallen from 88.42 billion dollars in 2022 to 5.38 billion in 2024. Funds in dollars, from 17.32 billion to 750 million. Hangzhou has not been a major recipient of investment until last year, when its province –Zheijang– stood out with 41 new corporate venture capital funds. But it was only after Unitree or Game Science had gained national attention. Missing. Hangzhou has only one elite university – Zhejiang – compared to 26 in Beijing, 11 in Jiangsu or 10 in Shanghai. The admission rate at Tsinghua and Beijing Universities for students from the capital (0.85%) is almost ten times that of students from Zhejiang (0.09%). None of the founders of “the six little dragons” or Alibaba created their company directly from university. Liang Wenfeng founded High-Flyer, the hedge fund after DeepSeekeight years after graduating. Jack Ma was rejected for 30 jobs after finishing his studies. Yes, but. The city has innovated by doing away with those ingredients. The explanation offered by Zilan Qian, a researcher at the Oxford China Policy Lab, points out ChinaTalk to “flexible governance”: a model where officials adopt “waiters” and “babysitters” mentality that facilitate rather than control. The context. Hangzhou does not have the political, financial or industrial importance of first-tier cities, which has given it greater local autonomy to shape its technology sector. Zhejiang province was a pioneer since the 1980s in promoting private enterprise during the early phases of Chinese economic reforms. Jack Ma He tried to establish Alibaba’s headquarters in Beijing or Shanghai, but failed due to the cost of rent and bureaucratic barriers. In 2015, Ma explained her decision: “Beijing favors state-owned enterprises, Shanghai favors foreign companies, and Alibaba was nothing in their eyes. If we return to Hangzhou, we become the local only child who receives all the attention and support.” Hangzhou is part of the sometimes called “chinese technology triangle“(sometimes also”golden triangle“) along with Shanghai and Shenzhen. More than a geometric reality, the functional metaphor describes the complementarity of three cities: Shenzhen provides industrial capacity and hardware. Shanghai concentrates finances and internationalization Hangzhou stands out in the internet, AI and an ecosystem favorable to private companies. Each vertex of the triangle has different strengths that, combined, generate an ecosystem where geographical proximity facilitates collaboration and flow of talent between the three poles. Between the lines. The model is described as “market-oriented” but maintains a level of centralized governance. The Hangzhou government sees quality of life as a strategy to attract businesses and talent, but positions itself as an enabler, not a controller. The absence of state-backed research institutes and a strong industrial base contributes to the government’s humble attitude. If Hangzhou were more strategic or more industrial, DeepSeek might not have had the creative space to emerge and provoke the earthquake that caused in January. The narrative of “self-made industry” and “entrepreneurial bureaucracy” admits conflicting readings. What some interpret as facilitation, others read as a euphemism for “dirigiste intervention by the State”, with a very defined plan of action and long-term objectives. “Flexible governance” can be both real local autonomy… and dirigisme disguised as pragmatism. At least it is no longer “a city south of Shanghai” but “Alibaba City” or “DeepSeek City”. In Xataka | China is selling us a future full of humanoid robots. We have (many) doubts Featured image | JinHui CHEN in Unsplash

Unitree is one of the Chinese technological jewels. He wants to do with robots the same thing Xiaomi did with mobiles

February 28, 2025 by usatoday24

In advanced robotics are Boston Dynamics or Tesla who monopolizes the headlines, but a Chinese company is following an alternative path to end up being The next big one of the robotic sector: Unitree. Founded in 2016 in Hangzhou, on the East China coast, it follows a strategy that reminds a lot of that of Xiaomi in its beginnings: Try to offer the best possible technology at demolition prices. Thus Xiaomi conquered countries like Spain and thus tries to make a hole in world robotics. Of course, the prices of this type of robots have nothing to do with those of a Redmi. Value proposal The price difference is large. One of Boston Dynamics’s most famous robots, Spot, costs about $ 75,000. The unitree Go2, relatively similar, It is sold for 1,600 in its cheapest mode. This strategy has allowed him to dominate the square robot market, where he already has a 40% market share according to the Gaogong Institute. The most important thing is not so much the price and what it implies: A paradigm shift in the way of selling advanced robotics. Other manufacturers focus their robots as premium products for companies or for armies. Unitree understands them as massive technology. Or almost. After quadruped robots, the big challenge is in the bipeds. The humanoids. And there Unitree has his G1 modelwhich sells for $ 16,000. A lot of money, but quite less than what is expected that costs the Tesla optimus. Image: Unitree. Its specifications: Height of 1.32 meters (approximately a nine -year -old child). Weight of 35 kilos. Race speed of 2 meters per second (7.2 kilometers per hour, equivalent to a very slow trot). Lidar 3D. Intel Realsense depth chamber (only this component is already worth $ 1,300 in the free market). Advanced voice control. Beyond specifications, G1 is an example of the Pragmatic Approach of Unitree: it does not seek spectacular demos of its humanoid robotics, but the ability to produce them in mass. It is no accident that Unitree has left Hanghzou. From there they have come out Many other technological ones And it is in fact the headquarters of Alibaba. It is the place where Capital, talent and manufacturing converge. Hangzhou is one of the vertices of what we could call the Chinese technological trianglenext to Shenzhen and Shanghai. And within Hanghzou, Unitree is one of the calls “Six small dragons“: The six startups that are emerging in AI and Robotics. Of course, another of the Dragoncitos is Deepseek. To understand Unitree’s strategic importance: it was One of the 18 companies chosen by Xi Jinping For the technological symposium of a few days ago with Deepseek, Huawei, Byd, Tencent, Xiaomi, Catl … a sign of power and faith. The founder’s enigma The founder of Unitree is Wang Xingxingsomeone who breaks several stereotypes: He studied at the University of Science and Technology of Zhejiang, a respectable but not first level institution. Many founders of their generation did study in elite centers or abroad. He was never a brilliant student … Not much less. Xingxing itself admitted that He could not enter the University of Zhejiang (more prestigious) for not having enough English level. After spending a couple of months in DJIthe giant of the droneshe was encouraged to launch his own company. And he said In an interviewthe beginnings were hard: “During the first three years there were times when we couldn’t even pay salaries.” Again, a modest beginning that contrasts with the usual pattern of high -profile Chinese startups, which usually start with large rounds of financing and management equipment from large technological ones. This is the case of Xpeng, Child either Bytedance. Wang, on the other hand, started practically from scratch, sleeping for a month on a friend’s couch. His vision was also atypically modest for a Chinese technological founder. Instead of distilling excessive ambition with a certain grandiloquence, he set a simple objective: to get anyone to have a robot at home. At the moment he is not going wrong with that idea. The challenges to grow Despite its good tour to this day, it remains a lot to solve for the future. Starting with autonomy. Their humanoid robots have for about two hours of useinsufficient for prolonged use. And the guarantee is Only eight monthssomething that can deter more than one buyer from products several thousand dollars. How to offer adequate technical service when something goes to a client from anywhere in the world is another unknown. And of course, it remains to be seen if these robots can do real domestic tasks, completely, without requiring human help or auction, in such different environments as the home of each consumer. Very different to do so in a demo in a controlled environment. Million’s question is If Unitree’s business model will be sustainable in the long term. Prices remain low thanks to vertical integration and their physical closeness with the Chinese supply chain, but advanced robotics in 2025 is an insatiable investment plaintiff in R&D. And do it with tight margins complicates the equation. Future unknowns on the margin, Unitree represents well to A new generation of Chinese technology: Those that compete around the world with tight prices and a very pragmatic approach, more focused on assuming tedious tasks than in making us crack our eyebrows with magic tricks. Now, its success – or its failure – can end up determining whether advanced robotics ends up becoming a technology for the masses … or if you stay in a premium niche product. At the moment, Unitree has shown that there is a certain market for advanced robotics when it is offered at mundane prices. Now you will have to show that you can keep the accelerator pedal tread. Outstanding image | UNITREE, Xataka In Xataka | Goal points beyond generative AI: its new great bet is advanced humanoid robots, according to Bloomberg

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