Unitree has extended its R1 dual‑arm humanoid robot family with new R1-A5 and R1-A7 models, which can be fitted with 2-finger grippers or 3 or 5-finger dexterous hands, and attached to a fixed base or a wheeled base for indoor mobility.
The new robots appear based on the low-cost Unitree R1 platform launched last year, which can dance, walk, run, perform kung-fu moves, and chat with users, but is otherwise not overly useful since it lacks dexterous hands. The R1-A5 and R1-A7 won’t be able to dance, since they don’t come with legs, but the upper body comes with a head and two arms equipped with grippers or dexterous hands, which could perform useful tasks in combination with binocular vision.
Four new models are available with the following specifications:
| Feature | R1-A5 | R1-A7 | R1-A5-D | R1-A7-D |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dimensions | 700×357×190mm | 835×357×190mm | Shrunk: 520×440×683mm Raised: 20×440×1323mm | Shrunk: 520×440×683mm Raised: 520×440×1323mm |
| Weight | Approx. 11kg (with external power) | Approx. 13kg (with external power) | Approx. 30kg | Approx. 32kg |
| Degrees of Freedom (with gripper) | 15 | 19 | 15 | 19 |
| DOF per Arm | 5 | 7 | 5 | 7 |
| Waist DOF | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Head DOF | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 |
| Joint Output Bearing | Crossed Roller + Deep Groove Ball | Crossed Roller + Deep Groove Ball | Crossed Roller + Deep Groove Ball | Crossed Roller + Deep Groove Ball |
| Joint Motor | Low-Inertia High-Speed Inner Rotor PMSM (Superior Responsiveness & Heat Dissipation) | Low-Inertia High-Speed Inner Rotor PMSM (Superior Responsiveness & Heat Dissipation) | Low-Inertia High-Speed Inner Rotor PMSM (Superior Responsiveness & Heat Dissipation) | Low-Inertia High-Speed Inner Rotor PMSM (Superior Responsiveness & Heat Dissipation) |
| Max Arm Payload | Approx. 2kg | Approx. 2kg | Approx. 2kg | Approx. 2kg |
| End Effector | Optional two-finger gripper / three-finger dexterous hand / five-finger dexterous hand | Optional two-finger gripper / three-finger dexterous hand / five-finger dexterous hand | Optional two-finger gripper / three-finger dexterous hand / five-finger dexterous hand | Optional two-finger gripper / three-finger dexterous hand / five-finger dexterous hand |
| Forearm + Upper Arm Length | 420mm | 555mm | 420mm | 555mm |
| Joint Motion Range | Waist: Yaw ±150° Head: Yaw ±115° Pitch ±36° | Waist: Yaw ±150° Head: Yaw ±115° Pitch ±36° | Waist: Yaw ±150° Head: Yaw ±115° Pitch ±36° | Waist: Yaw ±150° Head: Yaw ±115° Pitch ±36° |
| Wiring | Hollow + Internal Wiring | Hollow + Internal Wiring | Hollow + Internal Wiring | Hollow + Internal Wiring |
| Joint Encoder | Dual encoder (arm) | Dual encoder (arm) | Dual encoder (arm) | Dual encoder (arm) |
| Cooling System | Local Air Cooling | Local Air Cooling | Local Air Cooling | Local Air Cooling |
| Power Supply | External Power or Li-ion Battery | External Power or Li-ion Battery | External Power or Li-ion Battery | External Power or Li-ion Battery |
| Base Computing Power | Body: 8-core high-performance CPU Head: 8-core high-performance CPU + 10 TOPS | Body: 8-core high-performance CPU Head: 8-core high-performance CPU + 10 TOPS | Body: 8-core high-performance CPU Head: 8-core high-performance CPU + 10 TOPS | Body: 8-core high-performance CPU Head: 8-core high-performance CPU + 10 TOPS |
| Microphone | 4-Array | 4-Array | 4-Array | 4-Array |
| Speaker | Dual Speakers (3W×2) | Dual Speakers (3W×2) | Dual Speakers (3W×2) | Dual Speakers (3W×2) |
| WiFi 6 & Bluetooth 5.2 | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Camera Module | Binocular Camera + Optional Wrist Camera | Binocular Camera + Optional Wrist Camera | Chassis LiDAR + Binocular Camera + Optional Wrist Camera | Chassis LiDAR + Binocular Camera + Optional Wrist Camera |
| High-Computing Module | Optional NVIDIA Jetson Orin (40-100 TOPS) | Optional NVIDIA Jetson Orin (40-100 TOPS) | Optional NVIDIA Jetson Orin (40-100 TOPS) | Optional NVIDIA Jetson Orin (40-100 TOPS) |
| Rear Power Input | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Charger | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Battery Life (Battery-powered) | Approx. 1.5h | Approx. 1.5h | Approx. 1.5h | Approx. 1.5h |
| Smart OTA Update | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Secondary Development | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Warranty period | 12 months | 12 months | 12 months | 12 months |
They mostly share the same specifications, but the R1-A7 has longer arms and adds 4 degrees of freedom (2 extra per arm), while the -D variants feature a wheeled base with a LiDAR.
The binocular module provides an RGB and depth maps with 1280×720 @ 30 Hz and 544 x 488 @ 10 Hz resolution and frame rates, respectively. It appears five types of Dex actuators are available.
The base price of $4,290 is impressive. However, that should be for the R1-A5 without actuators and other options, and once you add hands, an optional NVIDIA Jetson Orin module, and a fixed or wheeled base, the total cost will be quite higher.
It looks to be especially useful for factory and warehouse operations, and it’s still not targeted at home uses, so it won’t be your next robotic maid, but at least the new models have some use besides being an “intelligent companion”, as the R1 was advertised.
You’ll think Unitree would upload a video showing the capability of the robot they’ve just announced on X, but I could not find any, except for some very short demos with the grippers on Bilibili. Assuming the R1-A5/A7 robot can be fitted with the Dex5 dexterous hand introduced last year, the video embedded below may give an idea of what’s possible with this higher-end option.
The new R1-A5 and R1-A7 are not listed on the Unitree website just yet, but you can still check the earlier R1 humanoid robot which relies on the same electronics, and the capabilities of the various Dex dexterous hands offered by the company.
Jean-Luc started CNX Software in 2010 as a part-time endeavor, before quitting his job as a software engineering manager, and starting to write daily news, and reviews full time later in 2011.
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