Japanese technology publication Nikkei xTECH published a teardown video of Unitree Technology's G1 humanoid robot on July 23, in which its engineers concluded that it is "probably unrealistic" for Japan to close the gap with China in humanoid robotics in the short term2.
The teardown, which drew attention across tech and financial circles in both China and Japan, revealed engineering that the Japanese team described as technically advanced. Engineers expressed particular admiration for the G1's highly integrated battery system, its biomimetic ankle linkage structure, and its high-performance motors.
The G1 drives 23 joint motors within its body, with six degrees of freedom per leg, including two at the ankle. The ankle design uses a complex linkage mechanism that replicates human ankle motion: the teardown team found two motors inside the G1's calf, each driving two metal connecting rods attached to the ankle joint. Unitree says the robot uses industrial-grade crossed roller bearings in its joint output and low-inertia, high-speed inner-rotor PMSM joint motors.
The G1's power system uses a 13-cell lithium battery configuration with a 9,000mAh quick-release smart battery, which Japanese engineers praised for its compactness and high output power. Unitree rates the battery life at approximately two hours. The robot weighs approximately 35 kg including the battery and stands 1,320 mm tall. The G1 standard version has 23 total degrees of freedom, while the G1 EDU variant offers 23 to 43. Knee max torque is rated at 90 N·m for the standard version and 120 N·m for the EDU.
The standard version is priced from $13,500, excluding taxes and shipping.
The Japanese teardown team concluded that China's robotics R&D capability has moved beyond merely showcasing concepts, and that Unitree's G1 indicates Chinese companies have mastered the key technological chain for mass production and deployment of humanoid robots.
ANALYSIS The teardown format itself is notable — a prominent Japanese tech publication chose to disassemble a Chinese humanoid robot and publish the results, and the engineers' own assessment that the gap is unlikely to close in the short term signals the degree to which Chinese robotics hardware has become a reference point for Japanese engineers.
The broader industrial robotics context underscores the competitive dynamics. China accounted for 295,000 industrial robot installations in 2024, or 54% of the global total of 542,000 units, according to IFR World Robotics 2025 data cited in the coverage. Japan installed 44,500 industrial robots in 2024, down 4% year over year. China's domestic manufacturers outsold foreign brands in China's home industrial robot market for the first time in 2024, reaching 57% market share. IFR statistics published in 2022 showed Japanese manufacturers supplied 45% of the world's industrial robots based on 2020 data.
ANALYSIS The shift from Japan supplying 45% of global industrial robots based on 2020 data to China now dominating installations at 54% of the global total frames the humanoid robotics assessment in a broader competitive context where China's manufacturing base is scaling across robot categories.