A Chinese robotics company has attracted the world attention with the launch of a humanoid robot that can run, cartwheel, punch, and even backflip. The robot, called R1, is created by unitary robotics and is just priced at CNY 39,999 or $ 5,900, which translates about 5 lakh rupees. It is less than a budget electric vehicle like Tata Tiago EV and is cheaper than any other humanoid robot in the same league. With athletic moves and a smooth construction, R1 is being pitched as a “sporty” robot, capable of drawing complex stunts such as kip-up, handstand and martial arts-style kick. But when its attractive promo video has seen millions of times online, it has also argued what a humanoid robot should actually do.

Unitree R1 is 121 cm or 4 feet long, its weight is 25 kg, and operated by 26 joints that allows for a stunning range of speed. In the video released by the unit, the R1 is seen flipping through the wind, sprinkling, and copying to compete with impressive balance and coordination. For a robot in this price range, those abilities are quite rare. Most humans with comparable dynamics cost many times more. Tesla’s optimus robot, still in early development, is expected to be priced under $ 20,000 (about 17.4 lakh rupees) – but only if it is produced on the scale. Meanwhile, rival bots such as UBTECH’s walkers S and Engineai’s PM01 are quite high, making R1 become the cheapest option for a dynamic humanoid.

Of course, in addition to Tesla’s optimus, the above humanoids-all are China-made, who accept this question: Where does it leave India in the race? While the country is still taking small steps in a game that is scaling fast, some development has taken place. For example, take Reliance. It has partnered with a robotics company Addverb, and is building an India-made humanoid for industrial use. ISRO is creating a half-Humanoid astronaut called Vayamitra. DRDO recently announced to work on Defense-Us Humanoid Robot. And startups such as apes robotics are prototypes to service robots out of Indian cities. He said, this is a story for another time – because there is a big question right now: What is a robot that can flip and kick if it cannot handle basic domestic work? This is why many people are asking online.

Here is described how some neatisens reacted to viral R1 video:

A user questioned the robot capabilities with domestic work, “Can it vacuum? Can it run a washing machine? Can it bend the fabric? Can it be iron? Can it cook? It can cook? It seems interesting, but honestly, it is not the most interested in me.”

Another user shared the same emotion, stating, “Are hands developed enough to have breakfast, cook, make, lawn?”

A user added a legitimate point by pointing to those who are missing the entire point. The user writes, “Many people ask if it can cook and clean. Completely remembering the point of a cheap humanoid. At this price, it is a toy and B) a research tool; if you want to build software for robot servants, you need a lot of hardware for testing and development.”

Another user posted, “The very suspect that it represents the actual world performance, today. But something like this will be common sooner than the most thinking.”

Although R1 can never be for washing clothes at any time, for $ 5,900, it is one of the first humanoids that is within financial access to researchers, hobbies, and perhaps the initial adoption is also looking for more than entertainment.

The company located in Hangzo is also preparing to go public soon and may become the first humanoid robotics firm to be listed on China’s stock exchange.