Unitree Launches World’s First Robot App Store for its G1 Humanoid

Unitree’s decision to build a separate app store for its G1 humanoid robot is a significant development in the field of robotics. For G1 owners who already own one of these compact robots, which stand at a modest 4 feet 3 inches tall and weighs a reasonable 80 pounds, movement routines can now be downloaded directly to smartphones via a mobile app.

You can access it using the Unitree Explorer app, which is already the primary interface for controlling and interacting with your G1. The shop itself is really simple; think of it as a User Plaza where you can explore all of the shared stuff, with an Action Library for managing any downloads you make, which is the most important aspect here. You see, it’s all about the “actions,” or pre-packaged programs that kind of control what the robot does and how it moves; it’s similar to buying a piece of software for your phone.

Developers can now publish their own actions, and the rest of us can simply install them with a single tap. As of now, you can choose from a small number of initial choices, which include Funny Movies, The Twist, and Bruce Lee. Funny Moves is exactly what it sounds like: it allows the robot to let loose and have fun. The Twist recreates the famous 1960s dance technique. Then there’s Bruce Lee, which, using some good motion capture data, seeks to imitate the martial artist’s distinctive kicks, punches, and postures, though you have to be careful with this one because the robot swings its arms around quite erratically.

Unitree prioritizes safety, thus there is a prominent warning to stay at least 2 meters away from the robot at all times when using high-intensity modes like Bruce Lee. By the way, dance routines do come with a caution about being on uneven surfaces, because the robot can get a bit unstable, so you’ll need to stop it right away if things start to go a little tricky.

Unitree is eager to welcome developers, so they’ve established a Developer Center complete with instructions, documentation, and tools to assist users in creating and uploading actions or datasets. To sweeten the bargain, they promise awards for the finest work submitted, albeit the specifics are yet unclear. But it’s not all one-time submissions; over 1,200 developers have already signed up, and hundreds of submissions have already been received, as well as a slew of shared datasets to assist users in training new models, all based on the idea of a community working together to improve things.

Unitree views this as a foundation, a starting point for something much larger. While most apps are presently purely for fun, they are hinting at more practical solutions in the future, such as voice-controlled activities like clearing a table or getting items. The G1, which is already a very capable little number (it starts at roughly $13,500), can accomplish some simple jobs like cracking walnuts or flipping pancakes, due to its agility and its super handy three-fingered hands. That is where the store comes in; it has the potential to expedite the G1’s path toward becoming a truly useful tool by allowing users and developers to collaborate on expanding its capabilities.