DEPLOY

Buying guide

AEON vs Unitree R1 in 2026

Comparing 2 humanoid robots across availability, pricing, capabilities, and verified deployments. Current as of 2026.

Key differences

On DEPLOY's record, Unitree R1 is further along: at the commercial stage versus AEON at the pilot stage, as of 2026.

  • AEON is at the pilot stage; Unitree R1 at the commercial stage.
Attribute
The Problem with this Humanoid Robot
AEONView full model page →
No image on file
Unitree R1View full model page →
ManufacturerHexagonUnitree Robotics
Form factorhumanoidhumanoid
Maturitypilotcommercial
Autonomy—◐ not independently verified
Availabilityinternal-onlyenterprisepreorder-openpreorder
PriceNot announced$4,900-$10,500 (actual sale price)
Capability claims—
  • Picks and packs (demo-only, demonstrated-once)
Brain
Verified deployments1Hexagon1Unitree Robotics
Privacy practices——
Sources on file69

Track this matchup

Get told the moment AEON or Unitree R1 changes. Verified changes only, the second they are real. No press-release noise.

AEON

Verified changes only. No press-release noise.

Unitree R1

Verified changes only. No press-release noise.

Editorial summaries

AEON

Hexagon's AEON is an industrial humanoid robot built for factory work such as assembly lines and high-voltage EV-battery manufacturing, developed with NVIDIA, Microsoft, and the Swiss actuator maker maxon. It carries 22 sensors and self-swapping batteries (about 23 seconds) for around-the-clock operation, with a walking speed near 2.5 meters per second.

DEPLOY records it at pilot maturity with one verified deployment, at BMW Group Plant Leipzig: the honest counterpoint to aggregator 'humanoids are working in factories at scale' framing, this is a verified pilot, not commercial-at-scale. As industrial equipment sold to manufacturers, it has no consumer price.

Unitree R1

The R1 is Unitree's price-floor entry into the same research-and-developer category as the G1, lowering the cost barrier to humanoid hardware for hobbyists, education, and capability researchers. The three R1 configurations differ in capability rather than presenting a buyer-tier ladder; the EDU variant adds the research-platform extensions a lab would want.

Unitree describes R1 as developer-tool hardware, with the published specs as the verifiable substance and no commercial deployment record on file. The verified-vs-claimed lens applies differently to a developer platform: hardware credibility is the relevant claim, commercial deployment is not yet in scope.

Common questions

How do AEON and Unitree R1 differ?
On DEPLOY's record, Unitree R1 is further along: at the commercial stage versus AEON at the pilot stage, as of 2026. AEON is at the pilot stage; Unitree R1 at the commercial stage.
What is the difference between AEON and Unitree R1?
AEON and Unitree R1 are both humanoid robots on the DEPLOY registry. They differ in maker, maturity, price, verified deployments, and how much of their autonomy is independently verified. See the table above for the full head-to-head; each figure is sourced.
Is AEON or Unitree R1 more autonomous?
On the DEPLOY registry, neither AEON nor Unitree R1 has capabilities independently verified as fully autonomous yet; their recorded capabilities are teleoperated-assisted, demonstrated, or vendor-claimed. See the table for each capability's verification status.
Which has more verified deployments, AEON or Unitree R1?
AEON and Unitree R1 each have 1 verified deployment on the DEPLOY registry (confirmed at named sites with primary sources).

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Which humanoid robots can you actually buy in 2026?Answer The verified list.Humanoid robot prices: every verified figureAnswer The verified list.All humanoidsRegistry Every verified record in the category.AEONModel The full model page.Unitree R1Model The full model page.HexagonRecord The maker's verified record.

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