LG Electronics Purchases Chinese Unitree Humanoid... For Research Purposes

It has been confirmed that LG Electronics' Robot Advanced Research Institute has purchased products from Chinese humanoid robot startup Unitree and is using them for research.



According to the robot industry on the 4th, LG Electronics' Robot Advanced Research Institute recently purchased a humanoid robot model from Unitree and is actively conducting research and testing.



Unitree Robotics' 'H1' robot dancing a traditional dance on China's CCTV Lunar New Year special program last month. [Photo = YouTube channel 'CGTN']



The Robot Advanced Research Institute has been conducting various studies using a dual-arm robot with a visual system developed by researchers themselves, and it is interpreted that this is to closely examine the actual performance of humanoid robots that have recently become a hot topic.



LG Electronics has been focusing on research and development (R&D) by viewing humanoid robots as the 'future of home appliances'.



It established a separate Robot Advanced Research Institute in 2017 and has invested in external robot companies such as Bear Robotics. The artificial intelligence (AI) robot 'Q9', which was unveiled at CES 2025 early this year, is also scheduled to be released within the year.



LG Electronics' Robot Advanced Research Lab has been testing out dual-armed robots to clear tables and put simple meals on trays and into kitchen utensils. It is known that this dual-armed robot can recognize human commands through voice and is also equipped with a visual sensor.



The Unitree robot purchased by LG Electronics' Robot Advanced Research Lab recently became a hot topic worldwide as a "dancing robot."



It appeared on China Central Television's (CCTV) Lunar New Year Eve broadcast "Chunje Wanhu" on January 28th, wearing traditional costumes and dancing with dancers. At the time, 16 robots were paired up with 16 dancers and danced.



Recently, scenes of Unitree's humanoid robots practicing the traditional Chinese martial art of kung fu and marching in the street were also revealed.



Last month, Unitree sold the humanoid robot 'G1' for 99,000 yuan (about 19.5 million won) online, and the 'H1' for 650,000 yuan (about 130 million won). However, some buyers who recently received the robots have responded, saying, "It's like a 2-year-old child. The screen and movements are different."



A dual-arm robot developed and researched in-house by LG Electronics' Robot Advanced Research Lab. [Photo = Reporter Park Ji-eun]



There are many observations in the industry that the home market will open only after the development of commercial and industrial humanoid robot technology reaches a certain level. This



is because the types of 'housework' that home humanoid robots have to do are so wide, and each living environment is different. It is expected that more time will be needed before robots can freely handle soft ingredients and various types of clothing.



Baek Seung-min, head of LG Electronics' Robotics Advanced Research Lab, also said at a recent conference on humanoid robots, "The future of robots that LG Electronics dreams of is one in which people can live comfortably without having to do any housework at home," but added, "More technological advancement is still needed before humanoids can replace human labor."





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