In June 2025, Unitree Robotics completed its latest Series C financing round, drawing investments from prominent Chinese tech giants including Tencent, Alibaba, Ant Group, China Mobile, and Geely, pushing its valuation beyond $1 billion. Just months earlier, in February, a troupe of life-sized robots spun and leapt across China’s biggest televised stage, dancing in sync with human performers at the annual Spring Festival Gala . The humanoid machines – sleek black-and-white figures moving with uncanny agility – stole the show and captivated a nation. It was a defining moment for Unitree Robotics, the young company behind those robots. Born in a Hangzhou lab less than a decade ago, Unitree has rocketed from obscurity to the forefront of a booming robotics revolution. Its journey, marked by audacious engineering and viral showcases, reads like a tech industry fable – a scrappy Chinese startup taking on giants, betting on low-cost innovation to bring sci-fi robots into the real world.

Wang Xingxing, Unitree’s founder and CEO, did not follow a typical prodigy-to-founder script. Far from excelling in school, the Ningbo-born Wang struggled academically – repeatedly flunking English exams and languishing at the bottom of his class . But what he lacked in grades, he made up for in obsessive tinkering. As a child, Wang spent his meager allowance scavenging parts to build model airplanes, homemade batteries, even a makeshift turbine. One youthful experiment nearly ended in disaster – he forgot an electrolysis rig in the family home overnight, filling the air with chlorine gas . This hands-on ingenuity, however reckless, set the stage for his true calling.

At Zhejiang University of Science and Technology, and later in a master’s program at Shanghai University, Wang found his passion in robotics – specifically, compact four-legged robots powered by electric motors . In 2015, he entered a Shanghai robotics design contest with a clunky prototype canine he cobbled together from scrap metal and hobby motors. That creation, dubbed “XDog,” won second prize and a RMB 80,000 award (around $12,700) . More importantly, XDog validated Wang’s belief that small, electrically actuated quadrupeds could be the future of robotics. “Most innovations in society are amalgams,” he told Chinese media later. “You can combine the latest ideas from various industries to be cutting-edge – and actually be the best in the world” .

By 2016, Wang had proven the concept in academia but worried the market wasn’t ready. He initially took a job as an engineer at drone-maker DJI, shelving his startup dreams . Then fate intervened: videos of XDog performing trots and jumps went viral online, drawing attention from tech circles and even offers from companies to buy his design . Instead of selling out, the 26-year-old quit DJI and struck out on his own. In August 2016, with help from an angel investor, he founded Hangzhou Unitree Technology (the English name is a blend of “universal” and “tree,” reflecting Wang’s vision of “growing” technology in all directions ). The one-man project was now a company – albeit just a three-person team in a tiny office – embarking on an ambitious quest to democratize high-performance robotics .

From the outset, Unitree set itself apart with a laser focus on cost-effective engineering. In late 2017, the startup unveiled its first commercial product: Laikago, a mid-sized quadruped robot named after the Soviet space dog Laika . Laikago’s appearance immediately drew comparisons to the famed canine robots of Boston Dynamics. But unlike the American firm’s DARPA-funded prototypes, Unitree’s dog was designed for mass production and sale. It used off-the-shelf electric motors and clever mechanical design to keep costs down – a radically different philosophy from Boston Dynamics’ pricey, lab-bound machines.

Timeline of Unitree’s core robots: Starting with Wang’s graduate project “XDog” (2013–2016), the company launched a series of quadrupeds – Laikago (2017), AlienGo (2019), A1 (2020) and Go1 (2021) – before venturing into humanoids with H1 (2023) . Each generation improved performance while lowering costs, reflecting Unitree’s vertically integrated engineering strategy.

Crucially, Unitree invested in vertical integration early on. With few suppliers making affordable parts for cutting-edge robots, Wang’s tiny team started developing their own core components – high-torque electric motors, compact gear reducers, controllers, even LiDAR sensors . “We optimized everything from mechanical structure to control algorithms, and kept key hardware and supply chain under our control,” Wang told investors in 2021 . This approach gave Unitree a manufacturing edge: by 2021, it could sell a capable robot dog for as little as RMB 16,000 (~$2,500) – roughly 1/20th the price of Boston Dynamics’ Spot (which cost $75,000+) . The flagship Unitree Go1, launched in mid-2021, was billed as a “consumer-grade” quadruped that anyone could buy, complete with a low-cost camera and AI-powered follow mode for jogging or strolls .

The bet on affordability paid off. Within a few years, Unitree became the world’s first company to mass retail high-performance quadrupeds, shipping hundreds of robots to customers worldwide . As of 2021, the startup had delivered nearly 1,000 units globally – a figure that dwarfed the output of older Western rivals. Researchers, tech enthusiasts, and corporations from North America to Europe jumped at the chance to own an agile robot dog at a fraction of the usual cost. The Wall Street Journal even hailed these low-cost robotic dogs as a major achievement for Chinese tech . Many dubbed Unitree “the Chinese Boston Dynamics”, marveling at the similar-looking machines emerging from Hangzhou. Wang bristled at the comparison. “When I was making XDog in 2013–2015, [Boston Dynamics] hadn’t even figured out electric actuators,” he noted, alluding to the U.S. firm’s reliance on hydraulics back then. “We were also the first to market with four-legged robots… We might look similar to Boston Dynamics, but we’re on our own path.”

Indeed, Unitree’s path diverged by prioritizing pragmatism over perfection. Robotics insiders point out that the company’s real innovation was “leveraging the Chinese supply chain to create low-cost, high-performance, highly reliable” versions of known robot designs . In other words, Unitree productized what was once laboratory research. This ethos – more Tesla than DARPA – meant accepting some trade-offs in cutting-edge capability in exchange for immediate scalability. It also fostered a culture of constant iteration. Every new model built on lessons from the last, gradually closing the performance gap with more expensive competitors. By 2023, Unitree claimed over 60% of the global market share in quadruped robots , and (remarkably) had become profitable each year since 2020 – a rare feat for a robotics startup. In Wang’s words, “quadruped robots have the best chance to be the first bio-inspired robots to enter everyday life”, thanks to their balance of techiness and utility . Unitree was bent on making that prophecy come true.

While Unitree quietly sold robots to researchers and early adopters, it was mass media moments that vaulted the company into public consciousness. One of the first big breaks came on Chinese New Year’s Eve 2021. That night, hundreds of millions tuned in to CCTV’s Spring Festival Gala – the country’s most-watched show – and were treated to an upbeat skit featuring 24 prancing robot “oxen” in matching costumes . These horn-adorned performers were Unitree’s A1 quadrupeds in disguise, nicknamed “Benben the Ox,” sharing the stage with celebrities like Andy Lau and Guan Xiaotong . Their coordinated dance to ring in the Year of the Ox was a novelty that won China’s heart, earning Unitree instant name recognition as the maker of the famous “robot bulls.” The Gala appearance triggered a surge of interest and orders for the young company’s robots .

It was only the start of Unitree’s showbiz adventures. In February 2022, at the opening ceremony of the Beijing Winter Olympics, a fleet of Unitree quadrupeds marched out as part of a high-tech display, symbolizing China’s technological prowess on the world stage . A year later – improbably – Unitree’s robot dogs popped up in the U.S. spotlight. During the 2023 Super Bowl pre-game show, pop star Jason Derulo was flanked by a crew of dancing robots that bopped and shuffled beside human dancers. Those nimble electronic backup dancers were none other than Unitree Go1 units, specially choreographed for the NFL’s biggest party . For a Chinese hardware startup to feature in “America’s Super Bowl” was a surreal milestone, and it wasn’t lost on Unitree’s team. The company proudly shared clips of its Go1s grooving on the Super Bowl stage, noting how far their creations had come – from Chinese factory floors to the global pop culture arena.

Unitree’s robot dogs in action: Two Go1 quadrupeds retrieve a thrown discus and javelin during the athletics events at the 2023 Hangzhou Asian Games. Unitree’s four-legged robots were deployed as field assistants to fetch equipment – a task that delighted spectators and showcased how robots can step into mundane jobs at large-scale events .*

Not all of Unitree’s fame has been about fun and games. The company’s robots have also found practical use in high-stakes environments. Throughout 2022–2023, Unitree worked with Chinese authorities on pilot programs using its quadrupeds for industrial inspections and emergency response . In one case, its larger B2 model (an industrial-grade, waterproof robot dog) patrolled remote power grid stations for the State Energy Group, navigating 500 kV substations to check equipment readings . In another, modified Unitree robots were trialed by a provincial fire department, scurrying into hazardous zones that would be too dangerous for firefighters . These deployments, though early, signaled that Unitree’s machines were not just viral video fodder – they were maturing into serious tools.

By late 2023, the Unitree brand had frequent flyer status at tech expos and arenas worldwide. Its robots appeared at the World Artificial Intelligence Conference in Shanghai and the World Robot Conference in Beijing. They even made a cameo in a pre-show demonstration at the 2024 Paris Olympics handover event (according to Chinese media) . Each public outing brought a mix of astonishment and debate – were these performances mere gimmicks, or glimpses of a robotic future? Wang has acknowledged that showcase events serve a dual purpose: they demonstrate real technical progress while also generating buzz and “interim commercial value” in the long road to everyday robotics . In his view, having robots dance, flip, or even spar in robot combat tournaments (another spectacle Unitree has explored ) helps fund and inspire the next phase, where utility will take center stage.

Nothing, however, topped the spectacle Unitree pulled off entering 2024. At the January CES tech show in Las Vegas, the company unveiled its first humanoid robot to an international audience – and let attendees kick it to test its balance. The Unitree H1 humanoid, a glossy biped standing 1.8 meters tall, was showcased walking and reacting to force, impressing onlookers as one of the only life-size humanoids operating live on the CES floor . Tech vloggers eagerly stress-tested H1 (one proudly declared “I kicked a life-size humanoid robot!”) and found it remarkably robust . That same month, back in China, Unitree’s humanoids truly arrived in pop culture – appearing as comedic “guest stars” during the 2024 Lunar New Year Gala on CCTV . In a playful skit, an H1 robot nicknamed “Fuxi” introduced itself as a Gala comedian, cracking scripted jokes and dancing alongside human actors . The sight of a humanoid robot bantering on live national TV was equal parts eerie and exciting for viewers. It also symbolized a bold evolution for Unitree: from robot dogs trotting in the background to humanoid robots taking center stage.

Unitree’s leap into humanoid robotics was as rapid as it was daring. Internally, Wang had contemplated bipedal robots for years – he even built a crude biped as a college freshman in 2009 during winter break . But the company held off until it had honed its craft (and bank balance) with quadrupeds. By 2023, that moment arrived. “We launched our humanoid project in 2023,” Wang said, developing the first bipedal prototype in just six months by leveraging years of quadruped R&D . The result, unveiled in mid-2023, was Unitree H1, a full-size humanoid robot built with the same philosophy as its mechanical dogs: keep it relatively low-cost, iterate fast, and don’t reinvent the wheel unnecessarily.

H1’s specifications were ambitious. Standing about 1.8 m (5’11”) tall and weighing 47 kg, it was designed to walk, run, and even sprint at up to 3.3 m/s (7.4 mph) – a speed that would set a world record for full-size humanoids . Internally, H1 used custom high-torque electric joints and an array of depth sensors, benefiting directly from Unitree’s experience in building agile quadruped limbs. In late 2023, Unitree quietly began small-batch production of H1 and shipped a few units to early clients . The company wasted no time pushing the envelope: within months, software updates enabled H1 to pull off feats like in-place backflips and aerial cartwheels, thanks to reinforcement learning algorithms and motion-capture training . Videos of a robot the size of a person doing somersaults – and “kip-up” jump-to-stand moves – went viral, blurring the line between science demo and Kung Fu film. By early 2024, Unitree declared that its humanoids had achieved “superhuman flexibility”, mastering martial arts-like sequences that garnered widespread attention online .

To broaden its reach, Unitree took a page from its quadruped playbook: it introduced a smaller, cheaper humanoid model aimed at research and education markets. In spring 2024, the company unveiled Unitree G1, a 1.27 m tall “mini-humanoid” priced around $16,000 – dramatically lower than the six-figure sums competitors were quoting for human-sized bots . The G1, essentially a scaled-down cousin of H1, made its debut at the ICRA academic conference in 2024 . With 13 degrees of freedom per leg and a 35 kg body, G1 isn’t meant to replace human laborers, but it offers labs and developers a robust bipedal platform at the cost of a mid-range car. Unitree began mass producing G1 by late 2024 , instantly positioning itself as a leading supplier of humanoid research robots by volume.

While heavyweights like Tesla have also promised general-purpose humanoids (Tesla’s Optimus project is famously in the works), Unitree’s head start in actually delivering units has made it one of the most watched players in this nascent field . By 2025, industry data showed Unitree’s humanoid shipment volume among the global leaders . In China, it is certainly the poster child of the trend. Wang believes the timing is right. “Within the next year or two, robots will acquire generalized capabilities for both commercial and household tasks,” he predicted in mid-2025, “such as tidying rooms and delivering items” . The company has already upgraded its bots with manipulator arms to, say, open doors or assemble simple components – incremental steps toward real utility . Still, Wang is realistic that the “ChatGPT moment” for humanoids – a breakthrough that truly brings robots into daily life – “still requires some time” . In the meantime, Unitree is content to push the envelope one demo at a time, confident that each spectacle (be it dancing or boxing robots) moves the needle on technology and public acceptance .

As Unitree scales up its humanoid ambitions, observers often draw parallels to other industry pioneers. One comparison is Tesla, in how both companies approach innovation through vertical integration and aggressive cost targets. Much like Elon Musk’s automaker rethought car manufacturing, Unitree has rethought how advanced robots can be built affordably. By designing nearly every part in-house – motors, chips, software – and owning its supply chain, Unitree controls costs and can iterate quickly . This strategy, combined with a willingness to embrace “good enough” components, allowed it to undercut competitors and sell robots by the thousand. “Our goal is to keep prices competitive while maintaining reasonable profit margins,” Wang told one interviewer, noting that as technology advances, the cost of quadrupeds (and now humanoids) will keep falling .

Another inevitable comparison is Boston Dynamics, the decades-old U.S. robotics lab famed for its jaw-dropping (and eye-wateringly expensive) machines. Wang has a nuanced respect for Boston Dynamics – admiring their technical feats but deliberately choosing a different path. “Boston Dynamics has been making robots for many years,” he said, “but I believed even before 2013 that hydraulic [actuation] couldn’t be commercialized – costs will never come down, and there’s always oil leakage.” For consumer and workplace robots, Wang insists electric motors are the only viable route, and on that front he feels Unitree had a head start. When Boston Dynamics announced in 2023 that it would retire its famous hydraulic humanoid (Atlas) to focus on an all-electric design, Wang wasn’t surprised – he wondered what took them so long . In effect, Unitree has tried to be to Boston Dynamics what a lean startup is to a government contractor: faster, cheaper, and more focused on real-world deployment.

Industry experts note that Unitree’s humanoids, while impressive, are not yet as advanced in autonomy or agility as Boston Dynamics’ showcase robots or Honda’s legacy Asimo. However, Unitree is narrowing the gap with astonishing speed, driven by China’s booming AI capabilities and its own engineering grit. “Previously, it took one to two years for a humanoid to learn to walk,” Wang said in 2024, “but now with large AI models, this can be achieved in a month.” He predicts that by the end of 2025, at least one company (perhaps his own) will unveil a general-purpose AI model for robotics, combining vision, language, and decision-making into a package that truly empowers autonomous helpers . If that happens, Unitree’s mix of good-enough hardware and improving AI could prove formidable, flooding the market with capable robots before more expensive rivals catch up.

Crucially, Wang’s vision extends beyond quadrupeds and humanoids: he speaks of an ecosystem of robots “of alternative forms” working together . Already, Unitree has branched into robotic arms (for fixed automation tasks) and even consumer gadgets like a motorized “fitness pump” device. In Wang’s ideal future, humanoids may build entire cities (he muses that governments could deploy 100,000 robots to construct a metropolis) while swarms of smaller bots handle microscale tasks, “even shrinking down to the size of cells” to transform our environment . It’s a sweeping techno-optimist view, one that aligns with his lifelong dream of “advancing society and human happiness through technology.”

For all the futuristic talk, Unitree’s credibility stems from tangible market traction – both in China and abroad. The company has proven adept at turning R&D into revenue. Since 2017, Unitree has deployed robots across dozens of industrial projects in China, carving out niches in energy, utilities, and public safety . Its robots patrol power plants and electrical substations, often in harsh outdoor conditions, transmitting real-time data and performing routine inspections that free up human technicians . In one pilot with State Grid, a Unitree dog autonomously navigated a 220 kV substation, using thermal cameras to check gauges and detect hotspots . And in a recent 5G-enabled “smart factory” trial, multiple humanoid robots were coordinated for assembly tasks over a wireless network – a demonstration of what multi-robot collaboration could look like on tomorrow’s shop floors . These early deployments, though limited, give weight to Wang’s claim that humanoids will first gain traction in industrial and commercial applications (not immediately in people’s homes) .

Internationally, Unitree has punched above its weight in reaching customers. It was the first company to sell quadruped robots directly online to the public, shipping to overseas buyers through its website and distributors as early as 2018 . By 2021, the Go1 model had pre-orders from over 30 countries . Academic labs from MIT to ETH Zurich bought Unitree robots as affordable research platforms; tech hobbyists in Silicon Valley and Berlin proudly unboxed their own robot dogs, sharing feedback that in turn helped Unitree refine its designs. The company’s global footprint is evident in its media coverage: Unitree devices have been featured by BBC and CNN, and reviewed by countless YouTubers. This grassroots adoption helped Unitree quietly dominate unit sales. According to an early investor, Unitree’s quadrupeds by 2025 made up more than 60% of the world’s installed base of legged robots . In other words, out of every 10 four-legged robots out there, at least six are likely from Unitree – an astonishing statistic for a firm barely nine years old.

One reason for this success is that Unitree cultivated multiple market segments. It sells slightly different robot variants for consumer, educational, and industrial use, tailoring price points and support accordingly . A tech enthusiast can buy a Go1 or Go2 dog and have it running within minutes of unboxing . A university might opt for an AlienGo or B1 model with open APIs for research, accepting a bit more setup time. For industry clients, Unitree offers on-site integration services (hence why an industrial deployment can take weeks to implement) . This segmentation ensures that from a high school robotics club to a state-owned enterprise, there’s a Unitree product to fit. The company’s aggressive pricing has forced others to respond – a dynamic much like how Chinese drone makers undercut competitors in the 2010s to dominate that market.

Unitree’s growing clout hasn’t gone unnoticed by China’s leadership and tech establishment either. In early 2025, Wang Xingxing was invited to Beijing for a high-profile private-sector summit hosted by President Xi Jinping, sharing the front row with titans like Huawei’s Ren Zhengfei and Xiaomi’s Lei Jun . The 35-year-old Wang was by far the youngest of the bunch, a symbolic inclusion signaling the government’s support for next-generation innovators. After the meeting, Wang spoke to media about the rapid progress of AI-powered robots and emphasized the need for AI models tailored to robotics . Around the same time, Hong Kong’s Chief Executive made a point to visit Unitree’s Hangzhou headquarters, even encouraging the company to consider a future IPO in Hong Kong . These nods from officials underscore how strategic China views humanoid robotics – as a frontier to conquer in the broader tech race.

The market momentum and strategic importance of Unitree have translated into a flood of investor interest, especially in the past two years. The company’s funding journey reads like a who’s-who of Chinese tech finance. It reportedly raised a small angel round in 2016 (just RMB 2 million) to get off the ground . By 2019, it secured a pre-Series A led by Sequoia Capital China’s seed fund, injecting several million RMB to ramp up production . A larger Series A followed in mid-2021 – Shunwei Capital (Xiaomi founder Lei Jun’s fund) led a multi-million dollar investment that valued Unitree as a rising star in frontier tech . At that point, Unitree had already delivered on its Gala fame and global shipments, making it one of the most promising robotics startups in China.