China's Unitree G1 Robot Becomes a Global Social Media Star
Different units of the Chinese-made Unitree G1 humanoid robot have become social media personalities from Poland to the US, as the manufacturer prepares for a stock market debut. The robots are still mostly remote-controlled, and new Chinese humanoids now face restrictions entering the US market.
On the streets of Poland, people encounter a 40-kilogram, roughly 1.2-meter-tall humanoid robot named Edward Warchocki. It was created by software developer Bartosz Idzik together with his friend Radosław Grzelaczyk, who later connected it to a large language model so it could hold live conversations in Polish. Since then, Edward has visited the Polish parliament, hiked mountains, and gathered more than a million followers on social media.
Edward isn't the only robot of its kind to gain fame. Characters such as "Rizzbot" in Texas, "Bart Robot" in New York, and the "Brickell Clanker" in Miami are all built on the same model: the Unitree G1, made by Chinese robotics company Unitree. It's one of the most accessible and affordable humanoid robots currently on the global market.
Rapid commercial growth
Unitree is preparing to go public on the Chinese stock market in about two weeks. Its financial disclosures show that more than half of its 2025 revenue came from actually delivering humanoid robots to customers — a total of 5,511 units shipped at an average price under $25,000 each. Nearly 43 percent of sales came from outside China, and the company turned profitable for the first time last year.
In Miami, 24-year-old Jake Cooperstein bought his own G1 robot and named it "Brickell Clanker." It gained attention over the summer by attending World Cup fan parties and changing into jerseys of different national teams. Cooperstein now earns money by renting the robot out for events, charging between $800 and $1,200 per hour.
Limits and obstacles
While the language model allows the robots to converse freely, their physical movements are still mostly controlled remotely by an operator, due to concerns about malfunctions and potential injury to bystanders. The robots come with roughly 20 built-in gestures and 15 dance moves, and programming new movements requires technical expertise.
In July, the US Federal Communications Commission announced a ban on new Chinese-made humanoid robots, though already-approved models, including the G1, remain available for now. This means Unitree's next generation of robots will not be sellable in the US market. In Europe, including Poland, no such restrictions currently exist.
