While so many humanoid robots are continuing to walk as if they’re suffering back pain or knee problems, Unitree’s G1 robot arrived last year sporting astonishing fluidity.
Digital Trends has already reported on the G1’s ability to move in a way that would make even the world’s top gymnasts envious, with various videos showing it engaged in combat, recovering from falls, and even doing the housework.
And now, a team of roboticists at the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST) has taught the very same G1 robot to move like a pro basketball player and even shoot hoops. For all-round technical finesse and AI brainpower, it’s one of the most impressive displays yet.
Working with Unitree’s compact and super-versatile G1 humanoid robot, the team has somehow managed to make it look like a pro basketball player, competently handling the ball while making fluid moves before launching it toward the hoop a la Nikola Jokić.
First-ever real-world basketball demo
by a humanoid robot 🤖🏀
Bonus: I became the first person to record a block against a humanoid🤭 #Robotics #AI #TechDemo #NBA pic.twitter.com/mERAsHxsLI
To achieve the feat, the roboticists deployed SkillMimic, an AI model framework that learns from human demonstrations in videos and motion-tracking suits before optimizing those actions in virtual training environments until they’re refined enough for real-world application, Interesting Engineering reported.
Those of you who follow this kind of thing might recall a humanoid robot unveiled by Toyota seven years ago that can also shoot hoops. However, the original version could only throw the basketball from a fixed position, while a more recent version uses wheels that allow it to move across the court.
Toyota’s robot has nowhere near the agility and body movement demonstrated by the G1 robot, which makes Unitree’s machine so special.
The roboticists’ work with the G1 highlights a breakthrough in sim-to-real AI transfer, enabling humanoid robots to master complex, dynamic tasks in unstructured real-world environments, following simulated training.
Narrowing the gap between lab simulations and practical applications could have a big impact on humanoid robot deployment in locations such as warehouses and other places where robots work alongside humans — a key focus for the growing number of companies building such systems.
Unitree unveiled the G1 humanoid robot last year and started selling it in February for around $13,000, targeting research institutions, universities, and businesses for R&D in humanoid robotics and AI. This fella in the U.S. also bought one for his home workshop, and came up with this terrifying creation in time for Halloween.
Touchscreen laptops have been around for years. You can get them in all sizes and shapes. Just not from Apple. For years, the Cupertino giant has treated the idea of a touchscreen MacBook the way I treat a meeting that could have been an email: with open contempt. However, Wednesday looks like the day the company could finally change its mind.
The latest Apple invite puts the “Pro and Tell” showcase in Los Angeles at 10 a.m. PT (1 p.m. ET) on October 28, 2026. Instead of a regular live-streamed keynote, it is an invitation-only, hands-on event for a handful of press and creators (similar to what the company did for the MacBook Neo earlier this year).
Two residents of Chicago have filed a lawsuit in the US over claims that robots run by Coco Robotics and Serve Robotics captured their facial and hand measurements without consent, bringing renewed attention to the food delivery robots. The cases raise a troubling question: If a robot delivers food to your door, can it also be gathering sensitive information about you?
According to a report by The Associated Press, the proposed class-action lawsuits were filed in Cook County on Oct. 9 and allege violations of Illinois’ Biometric Information Privacy Act. The complaints claim that the robots’ cameras and LiDAR sensors captured information on customers’ faces and hands as they approached the machines to pick up their orders. Both have denied the allegations.
Nearly a month after announcing the GPT-6.1 Sol model, OpenAI unveiled GPT-6.1 Terra today. The latest addition to the family focuses on computer use, visual reasoning, coding, and professional work, while costing 50% less through the API than GPT-5.6 Terra.
OpenAI says Terra can handle everything from filling out browser forms and working inside spreadsheets to interpreting technical drawings and editing videos. The company says it can also complete computer-based tasks more than three times faster than GPT-6 Astra and GPT-6.1 Sol.