Laikago

Overview

The Unitree Laikago is Unitree Robotics' original research quadruped, discontinued around 2019 when Unitree released the A1 as its successor. The Laikago carried 7 kg payload and stood 600 mm at the hip, establishing Unitree's approach of providing affordable quadruped platforms for research through a combination of custom actuators and open SDK access. It was the foundational product that led to the A1, Go1, Go2, and B2 series. As of 2026, the Laikago is no longer manufactured and official software support ended in 2019.

The Laikago was notable for its relatively high joint torque output at its price point, enabling it to trot over rough terrain more reliably than earlier university-designed research quadrupeds. It established Unitree's credibility in the quadruped research community and created the template for subsequent more refined platforms.

Key Specifications

• Degrees of freedom: 12
• Payload: 7 kg
• Standing height: approximately 600 mm
• Weight: approximately 22 kg
• Software: early Unitree SDK (ROS compatible, community maintained on GitHub)

The Laikago used an early version of the Unitree Legged SDK, which the community has maintained with ROS wrappers. The hardware design pre-dates many of the refinements found in the A1 and Go series, including tighter joint integration and improved actuator thermal management.

Use Cases

In 2026, the Laikago is relevant only as a historical research platform, a low-cost hobbyist project, or a source of spare actuators for other Unitree platforms. A small number of research groups maintain Laikago-based experiments, primarily in locomotion algorithm development using community-maintained ROS drivers. Any Laikago found on the secondhand market today has likely been through several years of research use.

Buying Used

Laikago units are rarely offered for sale and would be priced in the £1,500 to £4,000 range when available. Spare parts are essentially unavailable new; any mechanical failure must be addressed with custom fabrication, modified third-party components, or cannibalisation from another Laikago. Software is entirely community-supported with no expectation of updates. This is not a recommended purchase for production or active research in 2026 unless the specific historical platform is required for replication studies or legacy software compatibility.

Alternatives to Consider

• Unitree A1 (used): The direct successor with a better-supported SDK and more active community, available on the secondhand market.
• Unitree Go2 Air: Current-generation platform with improved sensors and active firmware support at accessible pricing.
• Unitree Go1 (used): Intermediate generation with more active community support and lower secondhand price than newer models.