Find the right humanoid, robot dog or robot hand, one question at a time.

Start from the job, not the spec sheet. Decide whether the robot needs hands at all (walking, shows and presence do not), whether your team will program it (research and data-collection work needs the SDK and an onboard computer), and what the hands must do: carry things (a gripper), handle objects like a person (3- or 5-finger dexterous hands, with tactile sensing if you train AI on the demonstrations) or support fine-manipulation research. Then set a budget. The humanoid configurator asks exactly these questions and shows which Unitree G1, H2 and R1 editions match each answer.

For most universities and labs we recommend the Unitree G1 EDU line: a 1.27 m, 35 kg platform with a 100 TOPS Jetson, 3D LiDAR, 18-month warranty and the widest choice of hands, from about $56,900 with hands. For greeting, showrooms and brand presence the adult-size Unitree H2 with its bionic face is the natural pick. For a first lab platform or classroom use the compact Unitree R1 starts at $6,870. For manipulation research that needs the robot to reason about scenes on its own, choose an edition with the Jetson Thor.

Unitree humanoids currently run from $6,870 for the R1 lab platform to $240,000 for a research H2 with tactile hands and a Jetson Thor, with 64 configurations in between. The biggest price drivers are the hands (a pair of dexterous tactile hands can cost more than the robot), the onboard computer, and the edition's programmability. Prices shown in the configurator are current US list prices from our catalog, before tax, shipping and installation; financing and robots-as-a-service subscriptions are available on every build.

Start from what the hands must do, not from the spec sheet. To carry and move things, a two-finger gripper is the simplest and lowest-cost choice. To handle everyday objects like cups and handles, choose a five-finger hand with six motors. To feel what it touches, or to train AI on demonstrations, add touch sensing. For research into finger dexterity, choose a hand with 16 or more motors. Then check the fit: not every hand fits every robot, and some can only be ordered with the robot. The hands configurator walks through this and shows the 19 hands and grippers, from $380 each, with the robots each one fits.

DoF, or degrees of freedom, counts how many independent motions the hand can make. In practice that means how many motors it has. A gripper has one, many five-finger hands have six, and research hands have 16 to 22. Repeatability is how closely a joint or fingertip returns to the same spot each time. A figure of 0.1 degrees means the joint comes back within a tenth of a degree, which on a 10 cm finger is less than 0.2 mm at the tip. Hand makers quote it in different units, degrees at the joint or millimeters at the fingertip, so the numbers cannot be compared directly. The hands configurator explains each term with an interactive example.

Decide where it will work and what it must carry first. Compact dogs (Go2, Go2-W) suit labs, classrooms and dry outdoor use with up to 8 kg of payload; mid-size platforms (As2-W, A2, A2-W) are specified for rain, cold and 30 cm stairs with 16 to 25 kg of payload; the industrial B2 carries 40 kg. Then choose legs for stairs and rough ground or wheel-legs for pavement and long patrols, whether you will program it, and any mission sensors: thermal cameras, gas detection, acoustic leak imaging, or a screen remote with searchlight and PA for patrol. The robot dog configurator walks through these in order.

For industrial inspection, the Unitree A2 and A2-W INS kits: a stabilised thermal and 25× zoom gimbal on the S1, a specialty gas module on the S2, acoustic leak imaging on the S3 and all three on the S4, each with a PRO version that adds a 100 TOPS compute backpack. For security patrol and public safety, the Go2 Ent and Go2-W Ent packages with their explosion-proof screen remote, dual-link video, searchlight, siren and PA. For research, the Go2 EDU line is the university standard, the As2-W EDU adds payload and range, and the B2 Kit is the industrial research platform.

Unitree quadrupeds run from $2,350 for the Go2 Air to $94,600 for the B2-W navigation kit, with 47 configurations in between. Research-ready Go2 EDU builds start at about $11,190, the mid-size As2-W at $10,500, the A2 at $31,900, and the A2 inspection kits from $58,200. As with the humanoids, the configurator shows current US list prices synchronized nightly from our sales system, and a RobotLAB specialist confirms availability, lead time and financing before anything is ordered.

Buy a humanoid when the work is about hands and human spaces: manipulation and AI research, collecting demonstration data, product demonstrations, greeting and brand presence. Buy a quadruped when the work is about moving through a site: inspection, patrol, carrying payloads outdoors, navigation research, or the lowest-cost entry into legged robotics. Quadrupeds are cheaper, longer-running and tougher; humanoids do things with their hands that no dog can. Many research groups end up with one of each, and the two configurators let you compare the shortlists side by side.

Yes, on the research editions. Unitree exposes low- and high-level SDKs, ROS 2 support, robot models and simulation interfaces including Isaac Sim. On the humanoids that means the G1 EDU, H2 EDU and Plus, and R1 EDU editions; the Basic, Pro and Air editions are operated from the app and remote. On the quadrupeds the Go2-X and every EDU build, the As2-W, the A2 and A2-W, and the B2 are programmable; the consumer Go2 Air and Pro and the turnkey Ent and inspection packages are operated as delivered. Both configurators ask whether your team will write code and filter accordingly.