⚠️ This is a draft to verify. Prices are mostly USD reference values from public sources (conflicting figures are given as ranges). Japan domestic procurement channels, distributors, warranty, and certification (Giteki / Radio Law) are unverified. The specs for Unitree Go2 / B2 have now been cross-checked and filled in against Unitree's Chinese official site (unitree.com/cn) + overseas English official site (B2 total weight ≈60kg incl. battery, continuous walking >40kg / standing peak ≥120kg, IP67, etc. are all official-page values;
shop.unitree.comis a storefront page with price only — specs defer towww.unitree.com). Please confirm real quotes and channels, then add/remove accordingly.
⚠️ Note: DEEP Robotics' official site deeprobotics.cn had its TLS certificate expire on 2026-06-25 (yesterday); the related links in this piece are temporarily unreachable and will recover once the cert is renewed — DEEP figures are treated as "to verify" meanwhile.
🌐 Overview & the boss's idea
The boss's idea in one line: "Buy a low-cost quadruped chassis that can walk/climb as a 'platform,' mount sensors/arm/compute/functions on top, exhibit it at Otsuka Shokai's trade show, and use it for daily work too — since the chassis is cheap, there's no real downside."
This is industrially sound and indeed the mainstream play: quadruped robots are shifting from "finished product" to "re-programmable mobile platform," with open SDKs + onboard compute + payload mounts letting third parties stack functions on top. The key is picking a chassis that is open, cheap, and has a large community.
Market context (2026, for reference): ~25,000 quadrupeds deployed globally; usage splits roughly into industrial inspection 45% / research & education 30% / security & defense 15% / consumer 10%. The hardware market is led by Boston Dynamics and Unitree, with DEEP Robotics and ANYbotics following.
🦾 Vendor comparison (three price tiers)
Prices in USD, all approximate / reference. "Payload" is the official or review-quoted figure; real add-on weight depends on center of mass and runtime.
Budget / Dev tier (best fit for the boss's "low-cost platform" idea)
| Vendor / Model | Price (approx) | Weight | Payload | Runtime | SDK / openness | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Unitree Go2 (consumer AIR/PRO/X) | from ¥9,997 (AIR) / ~$1,600 | ~15kg | ≈7–8kg (peak ~10–12kg) | 1–2h | basic | Entry-level, largest community; step 15–16cm · slope 30–40° |
| Unitree Go2 EDU ⭐ | contact sales (~$3,790) | ~15kg | ≈8kg (peak ~12kg, extend via add-ons) | 2–4h | Full open SDK / ROS2 + onboard Jetson Orin (40–100 TOPS) | Sweet spot for dev — modular mounting kit, arm/LiDAR/depth-camera expansion |
| Xiaomi CyberDog 2 | ~$1,500 | ~8.9kg | small | ~1h | semi-open | Cheap, but ecosystem weaker than Unitree |
| DEEP Robotics Lite3 | TBD (~four-figure USD) | 12–13.5kg | 2.5–4.5kg | 1.5–2h | ROS2 + open SDK | Research/edu, 40° slope, 18cm stairs |
Industrial tier (when you need bigger payload / outdoor / waterproofing for a serious exhibit)
| Vendor / Model | Price (approx) | Weight | Payload | Runtime | IP | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Unitree B2 | Chinese site publishes no price and routes everything to sales; the overseas store lists "$100,000 USD" with the note "Contact us for the real price" — quote-based, not a fixed retail price. China/secondary market ~$12k–30k (to verify) | ~60kg (incl. battery) | continuous walking >40kg / standing peak ≥120kg | no-load >5h/>20km; 20kg load >4h/>15km | IP67 | Dual LiDAR, ~360 N·m torque, >6m/s, step 20–25cm · slope >45°; cheap industrial Spot rival |
| DEEP Robotics X20 | ~$20k | — | 20kg | 2–3h | — | 3D LiDAR, thermal option |
| DEEP Robotics X30 | ~$40k–60k | 56kg | ~40kg | 2.5–4h | IP67 | ≥4m/s, ≥200mm obstacle, ≥10km patrol; industrial-inspection workhorse |
Premium / specialist tier (high cost; mostly violates "no downside" — listed for reference)
| Vendor / Model | Price (approx) | Payload | IP | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Boston Dynamics Spot | ~$74,500 (Explorer kit; Arm +~$65k extra) | 14kg, 2 payload ports | ~IP54 | Industry-benchmark SDK: Python/C++, GraphNav autonomy, Choreographer gaits; now owned by Hyundai |
| ANYbotics ANYmal | ~$150k | — | IP67; ANYmal X is explosion-proof (ATEX/IECEx Zone 1) | Oil-gas/energy inspection, fully certified |
| Ghost Robotics Vision 60 | $150k+ | — | military-grade | Defense/security, modular & rugged |
🏭 The "low-cost platform + add-ons" selection lens
Ranked against the boss's goal — buy a cheap chassis, stack functions, exhibit + use daily, no downside:
- First choice: Unitree Go2 EDU (~$3,790). Full open SDK / ROS2, onboard Jetson Orin compute, off-the-shelf modular mounts (arm, 3D LiDAR, depth camera), and the most community and open material — easiest to "add things and functions," best cost-performance for show demos, and runs fine day-to-day.
- If the exhibit needs bigger payload / outdoor / serious waterproofing: Unitree B2 (
$12–30k) or DEEP X20 ($20k). 20–40kg payload to carry heavier arms/gear, but a tier up in price. - Boston Dynamics / ANYbotics / Ghost are not recommended as this project's chassis — $75k–150k each, contradicting "no downside." Their value is mature autonomous inspection and certification — that's "buy a finished product," not "build a platform."
In one line: Build a platform, add functions, control cost → Unitree Go2 EDU is the default start; need to carry heavy gear → step up to B2 / DEEP X20.
🧭 Tied to the Otsuka Shokai show + daily use
- Show angle: Go2 EDU is moderately sized with plenty of demo material; adding "arm + vision recognition + voice" makes a memorable booth. If Otsuka Shokai's audience leans industrial/inspection, the B2/X30 "heavy-payload patrol" story lands better.
- Daily-use angle: A cheap chassis means you can freely run internal PoCs (transport, inspection, reception, data collection) with low failure cost — exactly the boss's "no downside."
- "Platformization" is the real differentiator: anyone can buy the hardware. Your company's value is the upper-layer software/AI (vision, control, applications) — which ties directly back to the "software × hardware" advantage in the business plan ([Business Plan Framework feature]).
⚠️ For you to verify / supplement
- Japan procurement channel: Can Otsuka Shokai distribute/procure Unitree, DEEP Robotics? Warranty, technical support, lead times? (Overseas direct vs Japanese distributor differs a lot in price — the USD figures above are only order-of-magnitude.)
- Certification/compliance: Wireless-equipped models need "Giteki" in Japan; check for extra safety/radio requirements for exhibition or outdoor operation.
- Resolve price conflicts: B2 conflicts between $12k and $30k; DEEP Lite3 public price missing — defer to a formal quote.
- Add-on list: What will you mount on the chassis (arm? specific sensors? industry software?) — once decided, I can re-cut this into "chassis + add-on BOM + software stack" and produce a rough cost.
- More models: If you want LimX Dynamics, newer Unitree models, Weilan, etc. added, or the comparison turned into sortable dimensions, just tell me how to organize it.