--- description: Find out why Unitree R1 is on TIME's list of 2025's best inventions. title: Unitree R1: The Best Inventions of 2025 image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt95440a398efdef34/6998ca6793610c5aaec300ce/R1-TIME-best-inventions-2025.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 --- Oct 09, 2025 # Unitree R1 Ultra-agile humanoid by [Matt Alderton](/author/matt-alderton/) ## Matt Alderton Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close  Courtesy Unitree Robotics From drones to self-driving cars, most robots today aren’t the humanoid versions imagined in science fiction. One exception is the R1 from China-based Unitree Robotics. Introduced in July with a shockingly low starting price of just $5,900, this bipedal programmable robot caters to researchers, educators, and software developers testing AI and robotics projects. It weighs just 55 pounds, features built-in AI that supports voice recognition and image processing, and has 26 joints (humans have some 300) that have allowed it to wow audiences with complex movements like boxing, running, and even cartwheeling. These are independent reviews of the products mentioned, but TIME receives a commission when purchases are made through affiliate links at no additional cost to the purchaser. Unitree R1: The Best Inventions of 2025 ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"Article","@id":"https://time.com/collections/best-inventions-2025/7318495/unitree-r1/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/collections/best-inventions-2025/7318495/unitree-r1/"},"headline":"Unitree R1","datePublished":"2025-10-09T11:00:16.000Z","dateModified":"2026-04-13T11:54:57.348Z","description":"","url":"https://time.com/collections/best-inventions-2025/7318495/unitree-r1/","keywords":["Tech","E-Commerce","list","franchise","Magazine","best inventions","Special Project","sponsorshipblock","Accolades","Best Inventions 2025"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt95440a398efdef34/6998ca6793610c5aaec300ce/R1-TIME-best-inventions-2025.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Matt Alderton","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/matt-alderton/"}],"creator":"Matt Alderton","articleSection":"Business","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt95440a398efdef34/6998ca6793610c5aaec300ce/R1-TIME-best-inventions-2025.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/business/","name":"Business"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/time-section-tech/","name":"Tech"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/collections/best-inventions-2025/7318495/unitree-r1/","name":"Unitree R1"}}]}] ```