The US and China are in a race for robots that promise to replace humans at home and at work; discover the projects

Meet the cleaning robot voted one of the best inventions of the year Companies from the United States and China are competing in a new race to create humanoid robots capable of helping humans with manual tasks at home and at work. The objective is for these devices to be used to fold clothes and perform small cleaning services in the home environment, as well as organize parts and packages in offices and distribution centers, for example. Among the competitors is the Figure 03 robot, voted one of the best inventions of 2025 by Time magazine. It was created by the American company Figure, whose investors include Nvidia, OpenAI, Microsoft and billionaire Jeff Bezos. 📱Download the g1 app to see news in real time and for free Figure’s founder and CEO, Brett Adcock, highlighted to Time the importance of being the first in the humanoid robot market. For him, the larger a company’s fleet of robots, the cheaper they are to produce and the more data it collects to improve the devices, creating a feedback effect that distances it from other competitors. “Whoever arrives first ends up having robots that are increasingly cheaper and more intelligent over time,” said the executive. “From there, it becomes very, very difficult to achieve.” Chinese competitor Unitree is also betting on reducing the costs of its robots. The company launched the R1 model in July, which starts at US$5,900 (around R$32,000). The model may seem expensive, but it is much more “accessible” than the G1 robot, which starts at US$16,000 (or R$87,000) and has more advanced specifications. Stolen or stolen cell phone? See how to protect access to banking apps How WhatsApp Web became a gateway to a hacker attack with a focus on Brazil Towers with cameras are spread across cities and worry experts Unitree R1 Disclosure/Unitree Another company that is betting on the humanoid robot market is Tesla, owned by billionaire Elon Musk. The company presented the first prototype to the public in 2022 and, since then, has been releasing short demonstration videos of the device. Check out details about three humanoid robot models below: Figure 03, Unitree G1 and Optimus. Figure 03 Figure 03 works like a cleaning robot that can fold clothes, put items in the washing machine, clean furniture and organize objects. It became lighter than its predecessor – the weight dropped from 80 kg to 70 kg. But the height of 1.72m, the speed of 1.2m/s and the ability to carry up to 20kg remain the same. The robot maintained the Helix neural network, a structure that seeks to simulate the human cognitive system. In the new generation, it gained support for voice commands and a “memory” feature, which allows it to remember where objects are. Cleaning robot Figure 03 Disclosure/Figure Unitree G1 and R1 The Unitree G1 combines motor dexterity with imitation and reinforcement learning. It has 43 controllable joints and hands capable of manipulating delicate objects, as well as sensors and a depth camera to recognize the environment. The robot also has a built-in AI agent, neck microphones, chest speaker, and removable battery that facilitates continuous use. Unitree G1 Disclosure/Unitree The Unitree R1, the cheapest model, also appeared on Time’s list of best inventions. The magazine stated that the model serves researchers, educators and developers with artificial intelligence and robotics projects. The model weighs just 25 kg, has 26 joints and can receive voice commands and process images. Optimus (Tesla Bot) Optimus, also called Tesla Bot, is Elon Musk’s bet to transform domestic and industrial automation. The robot was shown in videos performing Kung Fu movements, folding clothes and carrying boxes, although still slowly. The robot is still in the improvement phase, but it can already recognize objects, move arms accurately and respond to basic commands. Humanoid robot from Elon Musk’s company ‘fights’ Kung Fu Musk shows Tesla robot folding t-shirt

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