No need for motion capture
Unlike Unitree's
New Unitree’s patent enables human-to-robot movement transfer
By Global TimesPublished: Oct 22, 2025 10:51 PM
Journalists and guests watch a robot boxing game at the booth of Unitree at the venue of the World Smart Industry Expo 2025 in southwest China's Chongqing, Sept. 4, 2025. The expo is scheduled for Sept. 5 to 8 in Chongqing to present cutting-edge achievements of the smart industry through professional exhibitions. (Photo: Xinhua)
Chinese robotics company Unitree has unveiled a new patent for a robot joint control method and system based on motion capture equipment - one that maps human movements onto robots to enable seamless human-robot collaboration and interaction, according to Qichacha, an online platform offering company information.
Existing robotic joint control programs lack effective mechanisms for human-robot collaboration and intuitive interaction, resulting in poor flexibility and an inability to naturally convey the operator's intentions, said the abstract of the patent.
By integrating motion capture and data processing modules, the system enables the conversion of human joint rotation data into executable control commands for the robot, it said.
The system enables efficient and accurate mapping of human movements to the robot, enhancing flexibility and responsiveness and allowing natural expression of the operator's intentions for smooth human-robot collaboration and intuitive interaction.
By efficiently capturing and accurately reproducing natural human movements, it provides robots with realistic training data, offering significant practical value and strong potential for engineering applications, the patent noted.
Chinese robotics companies have recently unveiled their latest humanoid robots for both academic research and the consumer market, showcasing the country's rapid progress in this cutting-edge field.
Noetix Robotics on Wednesday pre-released its Bumi humanoid robot currently priced at 9,998 yuan ($1,403.76), the industry's first consumer-grade humanoid robot priced at less than 10,000 yuan, the company told the Global Times. Bumi stands just 94 centimeters tall and weighs about 12 kilograms, and it can operate continuously for one to two hours paired with a battery of more than 3.5Ah.
A day earlier,
, the 1.8-meter-tall H2, which features 31 degrees of freedom and demonstrates remarkable agility, balance and motion flexibility, capable of mimicking dance and martial arts moves, according to a company video sent to the Global Times.
On September 9, humanoid robot producer UBTECH and the Beijing Humanoid Robot Innovation Center launched Tiangong Walker, a full-sized research and education robot now available on JD.com. Prices range from 299,000 to 779,000 yuan to meet the diverse needs of institutions and universities, according to a statement UBTECH sent to the Global Times.
Global Times