Founded by Wang Xingxing in August 2016 in Hangzhou, China, Unitree Robotics began with the viral quadruped robot XDog, which was developed from his master's thesis. The company gained international recognition with the Go1 in 2021, a consumer-level robotic dog that rivals Boston Dynamics' Spot and can traverse surfaces like sand and rocks. In 2024, Unitree pivoted to affordable humanoid robots, launching the G1 at roughly US$16,000—a 1.27-meter-tall machine with up to 43 joints that has become famous in viral videos where it is puppeted by remote operators. Unitree showcased its latest lineup, including the Go2 and B2-W, at CES 2025 in Las Vegas, signaling its push into global markets. Backed by major venture capital firms, the company went public on the Shanghai Stock Exchange in August 2026, with shares surging nearly 500% on their first day of trading.