Tesla Optimus vs. Unitree G1: Rival Robots

In a new video posted after Tesla’s We, Robot event, and following various reports that the company’s Optimus robots were assisted by humans, Tesla addresses some questions about how its robots are controlled.

Tesla says Optimus robots can explore spaces autonomously. The video also shows the robot demonstrating many of the same skills we saw at the We, Robot event, such as handing out drinks and small bags, which Tesla says it’s doing on its own in the new clip. In the video, the robot even leaves a guy hanging when he tries to fist bump, like we saw at the We, Robot event. 

But there are important differences. In the video, Optimus isn’t actually shown pouring drinks, like it was doing at the We, Robot event; it’s just handing them out autonomously. It also isn’t interacting with a crowd of people, like it was at the event; it’s dealing with people one-on-one, in a controlled environment. It’s possible the robot can perform some actions autonomously in a well-lit lab environment that it can’t yet pull off without help in a dim, loud space packed with people. 

Still, the conversation around autonomy that ensued in the wake of Tesla’s We, Robot event is a reminder of why autonomy is such an important milestone for robotics companies, and it presents an opportunity for us to separate the facts from the hype when evaluating a robotics company’s marketing materials.

For instance, most of the time when a company’s robot does something autonomously, the company will brag about it. That’s because autonomy requires the robot to have the ability to gather information, make decisions based on that information, and act on those decisions.

For example, robotics company 1X released a video of its robots completing various tasks that it says were all autonomous. Similarly, Figure has shown videos of its Figure 02 robot autonomously manipulating the placement of parts in a factory setting.

All of this is to say that autonomy shouldn’t be assumed if the company doesn’t say it outright. There’s a lot of human-assisted magic that can be hidden behind that glossy robotic facade.

One of Tesla’s competitors in the robotics market, Unitree, has shared videos on its YouTube channel of the humanoid G1 robot. None mention autonomy as a means of control. The videos appear to be intended to showcase the robot’s physical capabilities, rather than how it’s controlled. A video of the Unitree H1, the G1’s humanoid predecessor, shows the robot being tele-operated by a person. And Unitree’s website says the G1 includes a manual controller. That’s not to say the Unitree G1 won’t have autonomous capabilities, but this certainly hasn’t been the focus of the company’s marketing for the G1 so far.

Unitree seems to be positioning its robots as a more affordable, portable alternative. The robot’s current $16,000 price tag is significantly lower than the $20,000 to $30,000 Elon Musk says he’s hoping to achieve someday with Optimus. The G1 is also significantly smaller and lighter, which perhaps accounts in part for the lower cost.

The G1’s smaller size may also help it achieve some of the more acrobatic maneuvers we’ve seen in the promo videos, which appear to put its capabilities somewhere between the stilted shuffle of Optimus and the parkour of HD Atlas from Boston Dynamics.

To see both the Optimus and G1 robots in action, check out the video in this article.