Unitree G1 Support

Safety Guide

Read this section in full before powering on the robot for the first time. The G1 is a dynamic, self-balancing machine with significant mass and joint torque.

Operating environment

1. Clear a safe zone. Maintain at least 2–3 m of clearance in all directions during operation, testing, and development. Keep children and pets outside the zone at all times.
2. Use flat, non-slip flooring. Avoid loose rugs, cables on the floor, wet surfaces, and stairs until you are fully familiar with the robot's locomotion behavior.
3. Check temperature and moisture. Operate indoors within the temperature range stated on your unit's spec sheet. The G1 is not waterproof (IP rating varies by configuration) — keep it away from liquids.
4. Have the E-stop ready. Keep the remote/emergency stop within reach whenever the robot is standing. Know the soft-stop and hard-stop procedures before your first session.

Battery and charging safety

1. Use original equipment only. Charge only with the supplied charger and battery packs. Third-party chargers void the warranty and pose a fire risk.
2. Never charge unattended overnight or near flammable materials. Charge on a hard, non-flammable surface.
3. Inspect before every charge. Do not charge a battery that is swollen, damaged, or has been dropped. Contact support for replacement.
4. Storage. For storage over 2 weeks, keep batteries at roughly 50–60% charge in a cool, dry place.

Quick Start

From crate to first steps in five stages. Allow 45–60 minutes for first-time setup, including a full initial charge check.

1. Unbox and inspect. Remove the robot from its transport crate with two people. Check the frame, joint covers, and hands for shipping damage. Photograph any damage before proceeding and report it within 48 hours.
2. Install and charge the battery. Seat the battery pack until it clicks, then connect the charger. Wait until the indicator shows a full charge before the first power-on.
3. Power on in a supported posture. Place the robot in its designated startup posture (seated/crouched per the printed quick-start card), then press and hold the power button until the status LED cycles. Do not touch the robot during its self-check and stand-up sequence.
4. Pair the remote and app. Power on the remote controller, then connect the companion app to the robot's Wi-Fi hotspot or your local network. Confirm firmware is up to date before first operation.
5. Run first motions in a clear area. Begin with in-place balance and slow walking in the safe zone. Keep a hand on the E-stop. Only progress to faster gaits and whole-body motions once basic control is familiar.

Operation Guide

Day-to-day operation: control modes, status indicators, and recovery procedures.

Control modes

Status LED reference

LED patterns can vary by firmware version — treat the companion app's fault log as the source of truth.

If the robot falls

1. Trigger a soft stop from the remote before approaching. Confirm the joints have de-energized.
2. Inspect visually for cracked covers, loose cables, or debris in joints before restarting.
3. Use the recovery routine. Where supported by firmware, run the get-up routine from the remote rather than lifting the robot manually. If manual lifting is required, use two people and lift by the frame points shown in the manual — never by the arms or head.

Maintenance & Care

A small amount of routine care significantly extends service life and protects your warranty.

Firmware updates

Install firmware updates through the companion app while the robot is on the charger, in a stable posture, with at least 50% battery. Never power off during an update. Release notes are published with each version — review them before updating units used in production or development.

Developer & SDK

The G1 supports secondary development through unitree_sdk2 (C++ and Python) over DDS, with ROS 2 support and simulation workflows. EDU configurations add onboard compute (NVIDIA Jetson Orin) for running your applications directly on the robot.

Development setup

1. Prepare a host machine. A Linux workstation (Ubuntu 20.04/22.04 recommended) connected to the robot by wired Ethernet. Set your host to a static IP on the robot's subnet (commonly 192.168.123.x) for reliable DDS communication.
2. Install the SDK. Clone unitree_sdk2 (C++) or unitree_sdk2_python from Unitree's GitHub, plus unitree_ros2 if you work in ROS 2. The SDKs communicate with the robot over DDS (CycloneDDS).
3. Connect and verify. Confirm the host can reach the robot's IP, then run a state-reading example (joint states, IMU) before sending any motion commands.
4. Develop against simulation first. Validate new behaviors in MuJoCo or Isaac-based simulation workflows before deploying to hardware, especially for low-level joint control.

Typical control flow

# Python — high-level locomotion via unitree_sdk2_python (illustrative)
from unitree_sdk2py.core.channel import ChannelFactoryInitialize
from unitree_sdk2py.g1.loco.g1_loco_client import LocoClient

ChannelFactoryInitialize(0, "eth0")   # network interface to the robot

client = LocoClient()
client.SetTimeout(10.0)
client.Init()

client.Move(0.3, 0.0, 0.0)   # vx, vy, yaw — m/s and rad/s
client.StopMove()             # always end sessions with a stop

Interfaces at a glance

Module names follow unitree_sdk2 conventions but vary by SDK version — consult the API reference and examples in the SDK repository for exact message definitions.

Frequently Asked Questions

Warranty summary