Unitree’s H2 robot poses, pirouettes and pulls off deft karate moves with eerily lifelike movement
Chinese engineers have released a video of a robot that moves so fluidly that you might think it’s artificial intelligence (AI) generated.
However, it is very real. The video – which is quickly gaining views on social media – actually shows the latest creation from Chinese company Unitree Robotics. Named Unitree H2 “Destiny Awakening”, the fluid movement humanoid robot is 180 centimeters (5 feet 11 inches) tall and weighs 154 pounds (70 kilograms), making him the height and weight of an adult man.
In the videobipedal model H2 poses, pirouettes and performs remarkably skillful karate moves, before strutting down a makeshift catwalk. The smooth, silver-gray model bears a striking resemblance to Sonny, the AI-driven tritagonist in the 2004 sci-fi thriller, I, Robot. — a resemblance that has not gone unnoticed by Internet users.
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Details on the H2 remain thin on the ground, but in the captions accompanying the YouTube video, Unitree states that its new “bionic humanoid” was “born to serve everyone in safety and friendliness.”
In a warning at the end of the video, the company also notes that “features vary by model and version” and requests that “all users refrain from making unsafe modifications or using the robot in an unsafe manner.” Based on this, we can safely assume that the H2 will be available for purchase at some point in the future, although at the moment it is missing a specific release date.
H2 Destiny follows the launch of Unitree’s G1 robot earlier in August 2024. A video released in 2025 showed it perform a complicated side flip.
The G1 “Evolution V3.0” stands just over 4 feet 3 inches (130 cm) tall and weighs 77 pounds (35 kg). As well as being equipped with a 3D light (lidar) and depth detection and ranging camera, the G1 can reach speeds of up to 7.2 km/h and incorporates 23 degrees of freedom – a measure of the number of individual movements the robot can make through its joints or axes.
Meanwhile, the H1 model – the H2’s direct predecessor – was released in 2023, claiming to be the fastest humanoid robot in the world. A video released by Unitree at the time shows the robot operating at a top speed of 7.4 miles per hour (11.9 km/h), although the startup claims the H1 can reach speeds of 11 mph (17.7 km/h).
Given the continuity in size and body design, the H2 is likely to build on many of its predecessor’s features, including 360-degree depth sensing, 3D lidar, and a front-mounted depth camera for navigation, as well as 27 degrees of freedom.
Unitree also lists a maximum torque of 120 Newton meters in the arm joints and 360 Newton meters in the legs, giving the robot its fluid movements and eerily precise control over its limbs. This design allows the robot to perform tasks such as lifting and moving objects, accessing hard-to-reach areas, and traversing difficult terrain.
