Unitree says it has built 10,000 to 20,000 G1 humanoids since May 2024

Unitree Robotics founder and chief executive Wang Xingxing said on 22 October 2026 that the company has built about 10,000 to 20,000 G1 humanoid robots since the model launched in May 2024, TMTPost reported. He was speaking in Hangzhou at the 2026 World Physical AI Conference and Unitree Partner Ecosystem Conference, which 36Kr also covered. Wang described the G1 as the world's best-selling humanoid robot. Unitree has not published a release or transcript with the figure. The G1 is listed on Unitree's website at US$13.5K before tax and shipping.

Why it matters

A production figure from a robot maker's founder is rare, but this one needs careful reading.

The range is wide. The upper figure is double the lower one, so it cannot be used to work out a monthly production rate with any precision. TMTPost quotes Wang as saying the robots have "rolled off the line", which describes units built, not units delivered to customers or in daily use. No split between production, shipments and deliveries was given.

The G1 is sold mainly as a platform for research, education and development. Unitree lists its arm payload at about 2 kg for the standard version and about 3 kg for the EDU version, and the payload falls as the arm extends. That is well below what most factory handling tasks need. The number therefore says more about demand from universities, laboratories and developers than about humanoids taking over production-line work. No named industrial customer or deployment count was given at the event.

Aparobot's view: even the lower figure would place the G1 among the most-produced humanoid models with a public price. For a buyer, a large installed base usually means more spare parts, more shared code and more people who have already solved common problems. That is an inference from the figure, not something Unitree has measured or published.

Wang also said the industry will need annual production capacity of 10 million units and that today's output is "still far from enough", 36Kr reported. That is a view on the whole industry, not a Unitree production plan. Unitree showed its newly released H2-X humanoid at the same event. TechRadar reports it can stand for about eight hours between charges, but Unitree has not published a price or full specification for it.

No delivery lead time for the G1 has been published.

What degrees of freedom tell you, and what they do not

A robot's degrees of freedom (DoF) are the number of independent ways its joints can move. Each motor that turns a joint usually adds one. Unitree lists the standard G1 at 23 DoF and the EDU version at 23 to 43, depending on configuration. Aparobot's record shows where much of the difference sits: the standard arm has 5 DoF and the EDU arm 7, the waist goes from 1 to 3, and optional dexterous hands add more in the fingers.

More DoF means more possible movements. A 7 DoF arm can reach the same point from several angles, the way a person reaches round a kettle to pick up a mug behind it. A 5 DoF arm often has only one way to get there, or cannot get there at all. That flexibility matters in cluttered workspaces.

What DoF does not tell you is how strong, precise or reliable each joint is. Two robots with the same count can differ widely in payload, speed and repeatability. Every extra joint also adds cost, weight, heat and another part to calibrate and repair, and the control software has to learn to use it.

So the useful question for a buyer is not "how many DoF" but "which joints does my task need, and how much force and accuracy does each deliver". Compare where the DoF are located before comparing totals across vendors.

Questions to ask the vendor

1. Of the 10,000 to 20,000 G1 units built, how many have been delivered to customers, and how many are in commercial use outside research and education?
2. What are the current lead time and warranty terms in our country, and who holds spare parts locally?
3. Which EDU configuration includes dexterous hands, what does each configuration cost, and what payload does it hold at full arm extension?
4. How long will software and firmware updates be guaranteed for units bought today?

Sources

1. TMTPost, Unitree's Wang Xingxing on G1 cumulative production, 22 to 23 October 2026
2. 36Kr Europe, Wang Xingxing at the 2026 World Physical AI Conference, 23 October 2026
3. Unitree, G1 product page, price and specifications, read 24 October 2026
4. TechRadar, Unitree H2-X, 21 October 2026
5. Aparobot, Unitree G1 record