Unitree R1-A5
The Unitree R1-A5 is the entry model of Unitree's R1-D dual-arm humanoid family, an approximately 11 kilogram benchtop upper body robot with two 5 degree of freedom arms, 15 total degrees of freedom with grippers, ±0.1 millimeter end clamp accuracy and quick-change tooling from two finger grippers to five finger dexterous hands.
Unitree R1-A5
Dual arm robotics used to announce itself with a forklift and an installation crew; the Unitree R1-A5 arrives in a carrying case. At approximately 11 kilograms, the entry model of Unitree's R1-D dual arm family is a benchtop humanoid, head, torso and two 5 degree of freedom arms in a 700 millimeter frame, that one person lifts onto a workbench, clamps down and puts to work, with credentials that ignore its size: ±0.1 millimeter end clamp accuracy, arm loads of 2 to 4 kilograms and quick change tooling spanning two finger grippers and three and five finger dexterous hands, at the lowest price of any dual arm humanoid in its class.
The R1-A5 is the family's thesis stated most plainly. When Unitree pivoted the R1 platform from legged performer to armed worker in 2026, the A5 became the gate: the configuration that asks the least, in money, in mass, in mounting, while delivering the whole working pattern, see the workspace, grasp the object, place it precisely, repeat all day, that classrooms, laboratories and station operations actually buy manipulation for. Programs that outgrow it climb a family ladder Unitree built in advance: the longer armed R1-A7 with 7 degree of freedom reach, and the wheeled A5-D and A7-D variants that roam.
Within the wider range, the R1-A5 opens the upper body humanoid category the way the original R1 opened bipeds: from the bottom, for everyone. The Unitree R1-A5 for sale, with full specifications, can be explored through this page.
Background
The entry point of the pivot
The R1-D family answered the original R1's defining critique, spectacular legs, no working hands, by inverting the machine: legs out, arms in, price held to the platform's democratizing tradition. Within that family the A5 holds the founding role, the minimum complete dual arm humanoid: five joints per arm covering the standard grasp, lift, orient and place repertoire, the full sensing and voice stack inherited from the R1, and a mass and footprint that make deployment a matter of desk space rather than facilities planning, the configuration through which most of the family's buyers will meet dual arm robotics for the first time.
Small machine, serious market
The A5's timing meets the embodied AI economy's widest need: manipulation demonstrations at scale. Imitation learning runs on captured examples of arms doing tasks, and the laboratories, startups and school programs generating that data need many affordable stations more than few expensive ones, exactly the fleet mathematics an 11 kilogram machine at the family's entry price was designed to win.
Technical Specifications
| Specification | R1-A5 | R1-A7 | R1-A5-D |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dimensions | 700 × 357 × 190 mm | 835 × 357 × 190 mm | 683 × 520 × 440 mm (shrunk), 1600 × 520 × 440 mm (raised) |
| Weight | ~11 kg (external power) | ~13 kg (external power) | ~30 kg |
| Total DOF (with gripper) | 15 | 19 | 18 |
| DOF per Arm | 5 | 7 | 5 |
| Max Arm Load | 2–4 kg | 2–4 kg | 2–4 kg |
| End Clamp Accuracy | ±0.1 mm | ±0.1 mm | ±0.1 mm |
| Base | Fixed mount | Fixed mount | Wheeled, self raising, LiDAR |
| End Effectors | Gripper / 3 finger / 5 finger hands | Same | Same |
| Vision | Binocular: RGB 1280×720 @ 30 Hz, depth 544×488 @ 10 Hz | Same | Same |
| Audio | 4 array microphone + dual speakers | Same | Same |
| AI Compute | Dual eye computing module; optional NVIDIA Jetson Orin | Same | Same |
Figures follow Unitree's official R1-D family page; end effectors quick change across five available Dex actuator types, and arm load varies with configuration and posture.
How does the R1-A5 differ from the R1-A7?
Two joints per arm, and the philosophy behind them. The A5's five joint arms execute the standard manipulation repertoire, pick, place, sort, tend, hand over, with full precision, while the A7's seven joint arms add the redundant articulation that harder problems demand: reaching around obstacles, reorienting within the grasp, mapping one to one onto human teleoperators. The practical translation: buy the A5 where tasks are defined and budgets multiply across stations, classroom fleets, repetitive benches, standard demonstrations, and step to the A7 where the research question or the workspace geometry needs the extra freedom. The wheeled A5-D applies the same arms to a self raising LiDAR base for programs whose work moves.
Technology
Precision without the price of it
The A5 carries the family's headline figure undiminished: ±0.1 millimeter end clamp accuracy with 2 to 4 kilogram arm loads, industrial arm language in an 11 kilogram package, meeting the binocular module's workspace perception, RGB at 1280 by 720 and 30 hertz, depth at 544 by 488 and 10 hertz, in the see, verify, grasp loop real manipulation runs on.
Hands that change with the lesson
Quick change end mounts swap across five Dex actuator types, from two finger grippers for fundamentals through three finger to five finger dexterous hands for fine manipulation, connecting the entry platform to the wider robot hands frontier and letting one machine's curriculum, or one station's job, evolve without replacing the robot.
Teaching at every level
The family's accessibility ladder starts here by design: drag and drop teaching, an operator physically guiding the arms through a task the robot then repeats, makes the first working program a hands on demonstration, while open interfaces across the underlying system, arms, audio, lighting and visual control support full process secondary development, and the optional NVIDIA Jetson Orin adds onboard AI headroom when the program grows into it, all within Unitree's ecosystem and accessories surround.
The R1's voice, kept
The four microphone array and dual speakers carry over from the R1 lineage, voice collaboration at the bench, a manipulation station that takes spoken instruction and explains what it is doing, the interaction layer that makes the A5 a teaching presence and not merely an apparatus.
What is the Unitree R1-A5 used for?
- Education: the first dual arm humanoid ordinary programs can fleet, manipulation curriculum across educational robotics from guided teaching to SDK coursework.
- Demonstration data collection: multi station capture farms for imitation learning across research robotics, where the A5's price multiplies stations.
- Benchtop station work: sorting, kitting, tending and light assembly at fixed stations across industrial, factory and light warehouse settings.
- Algorithm and prototype development: the affordable physical testbed for grasping, vision and control work before scaling to the A7, the wheeled variants or full platforms like the H2-D.
- Interactive demonstrations: the talking benchtop manipulator at exhibitions, open days and commercial showcases, working and narrating at once.
Pricing and Availability
The Unitree R1-A5 is available for purchase worldwide, from single benchtop units to classroom and multi station fleet programs, alongside the R1 family, the upper body category and the full Unitree lineup on Robots International. Unitree R1-A5 price and cost vary by end effector selection, compute options and destination, so buyers seeking the R1-A5 for sale should request a current quotation for their requirements. Purchasing inquiries, specification sheets and availability details for those looking to buy the Unitree R1-A5 can be found on this page.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the Unitree R1-A5?
The R1-A5 is the entry model of Unitree's R1-D dual arm humanoid family: an approximately 11 kilogram benchtop upper body robot with two 5 degree of freedom arms and 15 total degrees of freedom with grippers, achieving ±0.1 millimeter end clamp accuracy with 2 to 4 kilogram arm loads and quick change tooling from grippers to five finger dexterous hands.
How does the Unitree R1-A5 work?
The R1-A5 perceives its workspace through a binocular RGB and depth module, grasps and places through quick change end effectors, learns tasks by drag and drop demonstration or full secondary development through open interfaces across its systems, collaborates by voice through its microphone array and dual speakers and optionally computes on an onboard NVIDIA Jetson Orin.
Why is the Unitree R1-A5 important?
It is the lowest gate ever built into dual arm humanoid robotics: complete two armed manipulation, at industrial adjacent precision, at a mass one person carries and a price classrooms and small labs clear, the configuration through which the widest audience will enter the manipulation era, on the platform family the data economy fleets.
What are the benefits of the Unitree R1-A5?
Key benefits include the family's lightest mass and lowest entry cost, undiminished ±0.1 millimeter precision and tooling options, benchtop deployment with no facilities planning, drag and drop teaching beside full development openness, the R1 lineage's voice interaction and a ready upgrade ladder through the A7 and wheeled D variants.
What is the difference between the R1-A5 and the R1-A7?
Arm architecture and reach: the A5 carries 5 degree of freedom arms in a 700 millimeter, 11 kilogram frame for the standard manipulation repertoire, while the A7's 7 degree of freedom arms and longer 835 millimeter frame add the redundant articulation harder manipulation and teleoperation research demand, on otherwise shared specifications.
Can the R1-A5 use dexterous hands?
Yes: its end mounts quick change across five available actuator types, two finger grippers, three finger and five finger dexterous hands, so the entry machine serves grasping fundamentals and fine manipulation alike, evolving with the curriculum or the station without replacement.
Where can I buy the Unitree R1-A5 and what does it cost?
The R1-A5 is for sale through Robots International, serving markets worldwide with delivery, customs clearance and support. Because cost varies by hands and compute configuration, buyers should request a tailored quotation. Full purchasing details are available on this page.
Summary
The Unitree R1-A5 shrinks dual arm robotics to the size of a decision: 11 kilograms on the bench, two arms working to a tenth of a millimeter, hands that swap with the task, teaching that starts with a guiding grip and opens to full development, and a voice that explains itself while it works, at the lowest entry point the category has ever offered. It is the R1 story retold for manipulation, collapse the price, widen the gate, let the fleet and the community compound, with the A7's reach and the D variants' wheels waiting as programs grow. As the doorway into the dual arm era, the Unitree R1-A5 stands as the definitive starting point of its family.
v2, August 9, 2026