Humanoid robots: prices, progress and what you can buy in the UK
Who is building humanoid robots, what they cost and how far they really are from your home.
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The key facts
- Market size
- About 22,000 humanoids were shipped worldwide in the first half of 2026 (Counterpoint Research), almost all made by Chinese firms
- What they do
- More than 60% went to entertainment, performances, research or data collection; around 13% to factories and 5% to warehouses
- Cheapest in the UK
- Unitree R1 Air, about £4,800 on pre-order. A Unitree G1 costs roughly £17,000–£21,000
- Not for sale here
- Nothing from Tesla, Figure, Boston Dynamics, Agility, Apptronik or 1X can be bought by UK customers today
- Home robots
- No home humanoid has been independently confirmed delivered
From our reporting: Humanoid robots in 2026: prices, availability and what they can really do
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Who's who
The major humanoids at a glance. The tracker has statuses, UK retailer prices and filters.
| Robot | Maker | Price | UK? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Unitree R1 / G1 / H2 | Unitree, China | From $4,900 / $13,500 / $29,900 | Yes |
| AgiBot X2 Neo / A2 Lite | AgiBot, China | $25,600 / $44,560 | Import |
| Digit | Agility Robotics, USA | $8,500/month lease, or about $200,000 | Business only |
| Walker S2 | UBTech, China | No list price (about $95,000 implied) | Business only |
| GR-3 | Fourier, China | From about $27,500 | Business only |
| NEO | 1X, Norway/USA | $20,000 or $499/month | Not yet |
| Optimus V3 | Tesla, USA | No price; target $20k–30k at scale | No |
| Figure 03 | Figure AI, USA | No public price | No |
| Atlas | Boston Dynamics, USA | Not published | No |
| Apollo 2 | Apptronik, USA | No public price | No |
Your questions answered
Can I buy a humanoid robot in the UK?
Yes, but only a few, and they are research and education machines rather than home helpers. Unitree's R1, G1 and H2 are sold by UK resellers including Scan, RoboSavvy and RobotShop UK, and AgiBot sells from its global store with shipping and import VAT on top.
How much does a humanoid robot cost?
The cheapest walking humanoid on sale in Britain is the Unitree R1 Air at about £4,800. A Unitree G1 costs roughly £17,000–£21,000 and an H2 about £30,000–£32,400. Agility leases Digit to businesses for $8,500 a month, and 1X asks $20,000 or $499 a month for NEO in the US.
Can a humanoid robot do my housework?
Not yet. No home humanoid has been independently confirmed delivered. 1X's NEO is the only one sold as a home robot, and for chores it hasn't learned, a remote 1X employee steers it through a VR headset.
Are humanoid robot videos remote-controlled?
Often. Teleoperation, a person steering the robot remotely, is widespread: 1X sells it as a feature, Apptronik says its training uses it, and Boston Dynamics' own photos show it. Treat an impressive demo as possibly remote-controlled unless the maker says otherwise.
Which British companies are building humanoids?
London start-up Humanoid builds HMND 01, an industrial robot, and has a deal for Schaeffler to deploy its wheeled robots, with Bosch manufacturing them. Falmouth's Engineered Arts makes Ameca, a communication and research robot that does not walk, and London's Shadow Robot makes robot hands used by AI labs.
Is OpenAI building a humanoid robot?
Yes. Sam Altman has confirmed OpenAI will build one and expects "a cool demo" in 2027, with general-purpose robots for skilled workers first and a personal home robot as the long-term goal.
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