Humanoids and Legged Robots
Every Serious Humanoid Programme, Compared
Height, mass, payload, runtime and deployment status for the humanoid robots that actually exist, separated from the ones that only exist in launch videos.
Roughly a dozen humanoid programmes have hardware in customer hands. The honest picture: payloads cluster at 16 to 25 kg, runtimes at 2 to 5 hours, and heights at 1.3 to 1.8 m. The largest disclosed factory deployments are still measured in tens of units per site, not thousands, and the work is overwhelmingly part transfer rather than assembly.
The hardware, side by side
Figures below are manufacturer-published specifications. Where a value varies by configuration or has been revised, the range is given rather than a single number.
| Robot | Height | Mass | Payload | Runtime | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Agility Digit | 1.75 m | 65 kg | 16 kg | ≈ 4 h | Paid logistics deployments |
| Figure 03 | 1.73 m | 61 kg | 20 kg | ≈ 5 h | Commercial automotive contract |
| Figure 02 | ≈ 1.68 m | ≈ 70 kg | 20 kg | n/a | Superseded by 03 |
| Apptronik Apollo | ≈ 1.73 m | ≈ 73 kg | ≈ 25 kg | ≈ 4 h | Automotive pilot and ramp |
| Unitree H1 | ≈ 1.80 m | ≈ 47 kg | ≈ 10 to 15 kg | n/a | Research and demonstration |
| Unitree G1 | 1.32 m | ≈ 35 kg | 2 kg per arm | ≈ 2 h | Sold openly, research and pilots |
| Tesla Optimus | ≈ 1.73 m | n/a | n/a | n/a | Internal use in own plants |
What deployment actually means
The word covers a wide range, and the distinctions matter when reading an announcement.
- Research sale. The robot is purchased by a laboratory. Unitree's G1 at a published US 13,500 dollars is the clearest example, and it has put more humanoid hardware into more hands than any other programme.
- Paid pilot. A customer pays for a defined trial on a defined task, usually tote or kit movement, usually with dedicated engineering support on site.
- Commercial contract. A fleet is contracted for production work. The largest disclosed example is an initial fleet of 40 units across body shop and assembly stations in automotive, priced per robot operating hour rather than per unit.
- Internal use. A manufacturer running its own robots in its own plants. Useful engineering signal, but it is not a market.
Operating-hour pricing is the notable structural development. A rate of roughly 25 US dollars per robot operating hour turns a capital decision into an operating one, and it aligns the supplier's revenue with the robot's uptime, which is exactly where humanoids remain weakest.
The safety position is unresolved
No published standard covers a free-walking humanoid working near people. ISO 10218 addresses industrial robots with a defined workspace, ISO 3691-4 addresses driverless trucks, and ISO 13482 addresses personal care robots, which is a different category. A legged machine of 60 kg to 75 kg that can fall sits in the gap between them.
The practical route taken so far is site-specific: a field inspection of the installation at the customer site, rather than a general product certification. One such inspection by a nationally recognised testing laboratory was completed at a live customer site in late 2025, and the distinction is important. It certifies that installation, not the robot as a product, so it does not transfer to the next site.
What the numbers say about readiness
- Runtime is the binding constraint. Two to five hours means a shift needs either a charging break or a swap, and neither is free in a takt-driven process.
- Payload sits below a strong human. Sixteen to 25 kg covers totes and kits, and excludes a great deal of real material handling.
- Speed is modest. Walking speeds around 1.5 m/s, or roughly 4.3 km/h, are below a brisk human walk.
- The task is transfer. Almost every disclosed production deployment is moving something from A to B, which is the task a mobile robot with a simple arm also performs, usually more cheaply.
That last point is the honest test for any humanoid business case. If the task can be done by a wheeled base with a fixed arm, it will be, and for less money. The humanoid argument rests on environments built for humans that cannot be modified, which is a real category but a narrower one than the funding suggests.
Frequently asked questions
Which humanoid robots are actually shipping?
Agility Digit and Apptronik Apollo in logistics and automotive pilots, Figure 03 under a commercial automotive contract, and Unitree G1 and H1 sold openly for research. Tesla Optimus is used inside its maker's own plants rather than sold.
How much can a humanoid robot carry?
Published payloads cluster between 16 kg and 25 kg for full-size machines, held close to the body at a favourable posture. Smaller research humanoids such as the Unitree G1 are rated at about 2 kg per arm.
How long do they run on a charge?
Two to five hours. Full-size logistics humanoids are quoted around four hours, one commercial model claims about five, and compact research units around two.
Which safety standard applies to humanoids?
None specifically. ISO 10218 covers industrial robots, ISO 3691-4 driverless trucks and ISO 13482 personal care robots. Deployments so far have used site-specific field inspection of the installation rather than product certification.
How big are the real deployments?
Tens of units per site. The largest disclosed single-customer commercial order is an initial fleet of 40 robots, and one automotive pilot logged over 1,250 operating hours before converting to a contract.
What do they actually do?
Almost entirely part transfer: moving totes, kits and components between stations. Dexterous assembly remains rare in disclosed production work, which is why wheeled mobile manipulators compete directly for most of these tasks.
Sources
- Unitree G1 entry in the ROBOTS guideIEEE Spectrum, published dimensions, mass and degrees of freedom
- The Robot Report, humanoid deployment coverageReporting on commercial contracts, fleet sizes and operating-hour pricing
- World Robotics report seriesInternational Federation of Robotics, service robot categories and volumes
- ISO 13482, safety requirements for personal care robotsInternational Organization for Standardization, the standard that does not cover industrial humanoids