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Unitree's Robot Factory Relies Heavily on Manual Labor, Not Automation
Key points
- Unitree's factory uses humans for motor winding and assembly.
- Automated lines are present but not dominant in production.
- Labor costs are 8% of Unitree's robot manufacturing expenses.
- Unitree produced 26,000 robot dogs in 2025, mostly by hand.
Manual Production Dominates Unitree's Factory Floor
A recent tour of Unitree's factory in Hangzhou revealed a significant reliance on human labor for robot production. While some new automated lines exist for actuators (motors), the majority of the floor was staffed by humans operating traditional winding machines to wrap copper wire around motor cores. This contrasts with common perceptions of highly automated Chinese robot factories.
Discrepancy Between Public Image and Reality
Unitree has a viral video depicting a humanoid robot performing assembly in its factory, labeled as an 'actual deployment.' However, the company's IPO prospectus describes this as a pilot and states that assembly is 'currently mainly manual.' In 2025, Unitree's machinery was valued at approximately $1.7 million, producing nearly 32,000 robots, which equates to about $50 of machinery per robot.
Cost-Effectiveness of Human Labor
Human labor constituted only 8% of Unitree's total robot manufacturing costs in 2025, including outsourced assemblers, with parts making up most of the remaining expenses. This low labor cost means that even significant automation savings would have a minimal impact on overall production costs. For example, halving labor costs would reduce the total bill by only 4%. Unitree expects a new motor line to cut labor per motor by over half, but the cost of one robot model by under 2%.
Focus Shifting to AI Brains Over Robotic Bodies
Unitree's CEO, Wang Xingxing, indicated that after a decade of developing robot bodies, the company is now prioritizing the 'brain' or AI capabilities. This suggests a strategic shift towards software and intelligence, rather than further automating the physical manufacturing process, which remains cost-effective with manual methods.
✨ This summary was generated by AI from the outlets' reporting listed below. It is not independently verified and may contain errors — check the original sources. How BrevFeed works →
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Reporting from
A factory tour of Unitree, a major robot manufacturer, revealed that much of its production, particularly actuator assembly, is performed manually rather than by robots. Despite viral videos suggesting automation, Unitree's IPO prospectus confirms assembly is mainly manual, indicating that human labor remains cost-effective for the company.