Research Robots: The Robot You're Allowed to Open Up

Most robots are sold as finished products. They do their job, and their software is closed, polished and off-limits. A research robot is the opposite. It's bought precisely because a lab can open it up: write new control software, train new behaviours, attach new sensors, break things, and publish what they learned. In research, the robot isn't the result. It's the instrument.

That's what the EDU in Unitree's research editions signals: a platform opened for development, so the people using it can work beneath the surface rather than only on it. The research robots for sale on this page are built around three Unitree EDU families:

• Unitree G1 EDU: the compact humanoid that became one of the world's most widely used research platforms, available as a nine-step ladder from U2 to U10.
• Unitree H2 EDU: a full-size humanoid for research that needs human-scale reach, stride and workspace.
• Unitree R1 EDU: an accessible humanoid that brings research-grade development within reach of more departments, from U1 to U5.

Beyond page one, the grid continues with further research platforms across humanoids, quadrupeds and manipulation.

Every research robot is sold by Robots Canada, with lab setup, researcher onboarding and long-term aftercare available. We provide formal quotations for institutional purchasing and grant applications, financing is available to qualifying organizations, and delivery and support reach every province and territory.

Background

The hand is the research question

Look closely at the G1 EDU ladder and a pattern appears: the configurations differ mostly in their hands. That's no accident. Manipulation is the central open problem in robotics today; walking has advanced dramatically, while grasping and handling the physical world remain hard. So the hand you choose largely decides the research you can do:

• U2 Edu Plus: a development platform without functional hands, for locomotion, balance and whole-body control research.
• U3 Ultimate A: 3-finger hands for grasping research.
• U4 Ultimate B: 3-finger hands with tactile sensing, for touch-informed manipulation.
• U5 Ultimate C: 5-finger dexterous hands for human-like manipulation.
• U6 Ultimate D: 5-finger hands with tactile sensing, the richest manipulation configuration in the ladder.
• U7 Ultimate E: fitted with BrainCo Revo 2 Basic dexterous hands.
• U8 Ultimate F, U9 Pro A and U10 Pro B: further configurations for specialised research programs. Ask us for the detailed differences.

Choosing a configuration starts with your research question, not the price list. A locomotion lab and a dexterous-manipulation lab need very different robots, even though both are buying a G1.

Scale and access: H2 EDU and R1 EDU

Two more families complete the range. The H2 EDU is a full-size platform for research where human scale matters: workspaces designed for people, tasks at human reach, and studies of large-body dynamics.

The R1 EDU ladder, from the U1 Standard and U2 Smart through the U3 Pro A, U4 Pro B and U5 Pro C (with BrainCo Revo 2 Basic dexterous hands), opens humanoid research to departments and teams that couldn't previously justify a platform. It also works well as a second robot for labs that need more units for parallel experiments.

EDU doesn't mean easy: what a lab really needs

Research humanoids are powerful instruments, and like any instrument they need the right setup around them. Labs that succeed plan for:

• Safe testing. Humanoids fall, especially while new controllers are being developed. A humanoid gantry catches the robot during experiments and protects both the hardware and the schedule.
• Spares and batteries. Experiments run long and things wear. Spare batteries and critical parts keep a research program moving.
• Compute and simulation. Most modern robot learning starts in simulation, so budget for the development computers that train policies before they run on hardware.
• Version control for reproducibility. Record the firmware and software versions behind every result, and update deliberately, so experiments can be repeated and published.
• Real expertise. EDU platforms assume a team comfortable with robotics software. Our onboarding gets researchers productive quickly, but the platform rewards experienced developers.

Who are research robots for?

They suit:

• University robotics and AI labs working on locomotion, manipulation and embodied AI.
• Engineering and computer science departments building research and graduate programs.
• Government and national research institutes studying human-robot interaction, safety and applications.
• Corporate R&D teams prototyping humanoid applications before commercial deployment.
• Robot learning and AI companies collecting data and training policies on real hardware.
• Research hospitals and rehabilitation institutes exploring assistive and human-centred robotics.

For classroom and teaching robots, see Educational Robots. For dexterous hands as standalone research tools, see Robot Hands.

What are research robots used for?

1. Locomotion and whole-body control: walking, balance and recovery on real hardware.
2. Dexterous manipulation: grasping and handling with 3- and 5-finger hands.
3. Tactile sensing: touch-informed manipulation with sensorised hands.
4. Robot learning: reinforcement and imitation learning, from simulation to reality.
5. Embodied AI: connecting language and vision models to physical action.
6. Human-robot interaction: studying how people and humanoids share space and tasks.

Pricing and Availability

The research robots on this page purchase directly, with free shipping, including the full G1 EDU ladder, the H2 EDU and the R1 EDU ladder.

For institutional purchases, request a formal quotation describing your research program, the configurations you're considering, and any gantries, spare batteries or accessories you need. We prepare quotations suitable for grant applications and institutional procurement, including research-equipment funding programs, and support purchase orders from universities and public institutions. Our team will also recommend the configuration that matches your research question, and arrange lab setup, researcher onboarding and aftercare. Financing is available to qualifying organizations, and all purchasing details are available on this page.

Frequently Asked Questions

What does EDU mean on a Unitree robot?

EDU editions open the platform for development, so researchers can build their own control, perception and learning software rather than only using built-in behaviours.

Which G1 EDU configuration should my lab buy?

Start with your research question. Locomotion and whole-body control suit the U2. Grasping research suits the 3-finger U3 and U4. Dexterous manipulation suits the 5-finger U5 and U6 or the Revo 2-equipped U7. We'll help you match the configuration to the program.

What's the difference between the tactile and non-tactile versions?

Tactile versions (U4 and U6) add touch sensing to the hands, enabling research into manipulation guided by contact and force, not only vision.

Do we need a gantry?

For most humanoid research, yes. A gantry protects the robot during falls while controllers are being developed, saving both hardware and time.

Can you provide a quotation for a grant application?

Yes. We prepare formal quotations for grant applications and institutional procurement, and support purchase orders from universities and public institutions.

Where can I buy research robots in Canada and what do they cost?

Right here. The research robots on this page purchase directly with free shipping, formal quotations are available for institutional and grant purchases, setup, onboarding and aftercare are available with every purchase, financing is available to qualifying organizations, and all purchasing details are on this page.

Summary

A research robot earns its place not by what it does on day one, but by what it lets a lab discover. Unitree's EDU humanoids are open instruments for that discovery: the G1 ladder with a hand for every research question, the full-size H2 for human-scale work, and the R1 for teams just entering humanoid research. With grant-ready quotations, lab setup and long-term aftercare, they give Canadian researchers a platform to build on. For every Canadian lab ready to push robotics forward, this page is the starting point.