Go1

Overview

The Unitree Go1 is the predecessor to the Go2 series, discontinued by Unitree but retaining an active community SDK. It was the product that established Unitree's dominant position in the affordable quadruped market when it launched in 2021, with pricing starting below $3,000 for the Air variant and reaching approximately $8,000 for the Edu variant with open SDK access. The Go1 has 12 DoF, 3 kg payload, and a similar form factor to the Go2. Community support includes unofficial ROS drivers and open-source gait controllers maintained by the research community.

The Go1 was significant for demonstrating that a commercially viable research-grade quadruped could be produced at consumer price points, prompting wider adoption of legged robots in university labs. Its commercial success funded Unitree's development of the Go2 and B2 platforms.

Key Specifications

• Degrees of freedom: 12
• Payload: 3 kg
• Top speed: approximately 3.5 m/s (Air variant)
• Weight: 12 kg
• Battery runtime: approximately 1 hour
• Software: community ROS drivers, unofficial SDK

Unitree no longer offers official software updates for Go1, but the hardware remains functional and community-maintained ROS drivers are available on GitHub.

Use Cases

The Go1 is used primarily in university research and hobbyist development. It remains a practical platform for students learning quadruped locomotion and for developers prototyping applications that may later be deployed on Go2 hardware. Several published locomotion research papers used Go1 hardware, providing a useful body of reference implementations. Its lower price on the secondhand market makes it accessible for budget-constrained programmes.

Buying Used

The Go1 has a reasonably active secondhand market in the UK and Europe, with units available through eBay, robotics forums, and student project sales. Prices range from £700 to £1,400 depending on variant (Air, Pro, or Edu) and condition. Inspect all 12 joints for wear, particularly the hip joints which experience the highest loads. Check battery health by running the robot on a flat surface at moderate speed for 30 minutes and measuring remaining charge. Confirm that the community SDK version you intend to use is compatible with the controller firmware on the specific unit.

Alternatives to Consider

• Unitree Go2 Air: Current generation with improved sensors and active Unitree support, for a modest premium.
• Petoi Bittle X: Much lower cost for pure programming education, though not a real research platform.
• Deep Robotics Lynx: Higher performance at a higher price point for research requiring more capability.