Code Moment | After Going Viral on Spring Festival Gala, Unitree Unveils Next-Generation Quadruped Robot

Recently, MaHui member Unitree made its first product launch since its humanoid robots went viral performing martial arts at the Spring Festival Gala — introducing the quadruped robot Unitree As2. Positioned as a lightweight industry-grade quadruped robot, it's roughly the same size as its consumer flagship Unitree Go2, yet Unitree claims it delivers "approximately double the power performance of Go2."

Here's what this new robot can actually do — it can hike alongside you for 4 hours without tiring, match the speed of an electric bike, haul heavy loads while sprinting through snow, wade through water up to its shins, and even hold steady with a 220-pound man standing on it. Its own weight? Just 18 kg, about the same as a corgi.

This marks Unitree's second quadruped robot release in the past two years. The company previously launched the industry-grade quadruped robot Unitree A2 in August 2025 and the industrial-grade quadruped robot Unitree B2 in November 2023 — both heavier products weighing over 40 kg.

The newly released Unitree As2 remains an industry-grade product, but notably lightweight. According to official specs, the Unitree As2 weighs 18 kg, delivers 90 N.m of peak torque, offers over 4 hours of unloaded runtime, achieves IP54 water and dust resistance, carries payloads up to 15 kg, covers over 13 km on a charge, and supports open secondary development for industry applications.

Full specifications and pricing for the Unitree As2 haven't been announced yet, but the released video reveals more product details.

The video opens with the Unitree As2 leaping from a vehicle and following a man as he starts running, demonstrating the lightweight build typical of consumer-grade quadruped robots. The on-screen caption "hiking companion" suggests its potential for exercise and companionship scenarios.

By weight, the Unitree As2 comes in at 18 kg, while the Unitree Go2 weighs approximately 15 kg — a difference of only about 3 kg, confirming its closer resemblance to consumer-grade products. By contrast, the industry-grade Unitree A2 weighs roughly 42 kg, and the industrial-grade Unitree B2 tips the scales at about 60 kg — an entirely different class.

Its battery life also carries "industry-grade" credentials — the Unitree As2 packs a high-capacity battery delivering over 4 hours of unloaded runtime. For comparison, the consumer-grade Unitree G2's Air, Pro, and X versions run for 1-2 hours, with only the EDU version reaching 2-4 hours.

The Unitree As2 also features IP54 water and dust resistance. As seen in the video, the robot walks without issue through water reaching above its shins.

In terms of speed, the Unitree As2 hits a maximum of 5 m/s, or 18 km/h — faster than many adults can run, roughly matching urban electric bikes. By comparison, the Unitree G2's Air and Pro versions top out at 0-2.5 m/s and 0-3.5 m/s respectively, with only the X and EDU versions reaching the 5 m/s limit.

The Unitree As2 runs on a biomimetic embodied large model, reflecting its up-to-date algorithmic architecture. In the video, when the Unitree As2 charges toward a user dressed in white and that user darts to the right, the robot immediately pivots and runs in that direction. Notably, the Unitree As2's movements appear smooth and lag-free — and the video plays at normal speed without acceleration. If this responsiveness proves genuine in practice, it would represent meaningful progress in Embodied Artificial Intelligence deployment.

Per Unitree's description, the robot navigates complex terrain and harsh environments with ease. As shown in the clip below, even loaded down with a bulky pack, it walks steadily — even breaks into a run — up a steep snow-covered slope.

The product also upgrades to the ISS 3.0 intelligent following system. As shown below, the Unitree As2 autonomously trails behind a walking user. What other specific improvements this following system brings — whether it incorporates large language model dialogue or agent invocation capabilities, or finer recognition of user movements and intentions — awaits further product details.

Payload capacity offers another key indicator of the Unitree As2's "industry-grade" positioning. At 18 kg self-weight, the Unitree As2 carries 15 kg in motion and supports 65 kg standing load. For comparison, the Unitree G2's Air, Pro, X, and EDU versions offer payloads of approximately 7 kg (10 kg max), 8 kg (10 kg max), 8 kg (12 kg max), and 8 kg (12 kg max) respectively.

In the clip below, an adult male weighing 105 kg stands on the Unitree As2's body, far exceeding its rated standing load.

The video also mentions that the Unitree As2 can optionally mount accessories such as a 7-axis dexterous robotic arm, potentially enabling richer functional applications.

This follows Unitree's August 2025 launch of the industry-grade quadruped robot Unitree A2, marking its first quadruped release in six months. The last time Unitree introduced a quadruped this compact was the consumer-grade Go2 back in July 2023.

The Unitree As2 launch may fill the market gap between consumer and industrial grades for Unitree, forming a more granular and complete product ladder: consumer-grade (Go series) — lightweight industry-grade (As2) — heavy-duty industry-grade (A2) — industrial-grade (B series).