Unitree has posted a YouTube video of its G1 robot busting some serious kung fu moves.
The robot manages to fluidly kick a baton out of a human's hands, raising the question of how long it'll be 'til the robots take over.
Robots aren't completely alien to us these days. We have robotic lawnmowers that can keep our grass looking trim, robot vacuum cleaners to make sure our floors stay dust free, and robot mops that will mop up spills without us having to lift a finger. But let's be honest, none of those are the kinds of 'bots that are going to start an uprising.
Beyond the robot lawnmowers and vacuum cleaners though, are Androids that will stop you laughing when someone jokes about a future robot takeover. Spotted by Digital Trends, a YouTube video has been posted by Unitree showing its advanced G1 robot kicking a baton clean out of a human's hands. No, really.
What can the Unitree G1 robot do?
The clip is only 15 seconds long, but enough to make you seriously consider what the future could look like. The report on Digital Trends says the footage isn't sped up, and there seems to be no CGI involved either, so the very fluid-moving plastic-covered robot is the real deal.
Unitree Robitics has previously shown off its G1 robot performing kung fu moves, but it's the taking on a human and the human backing away that makes this latter clip a little scarier.
At the end of the video, Unitree adds a message saying: “We kindly request that all users refrain from making any dangerous modifications, or using the robot in a hazardous manner.”
If you watched the most recent iteration of Wallace and Gromit, you'll know all about modified robots and what they can end up doing – no one needs that.
It's said the G1's skills are possible thanks to a new algorithm created by Unitree, while 3D LiDAR and depth cameras allow for environmental perception and navigation.
Unitree Robitics showed off the G1 during CES 2025 and the base model costs $16,000, which is quite a bit cheaper than some alternatives should you wish to have a kung fu robot partner.
