A video circulating online has shown the Unitree G1 humanoid robot performing complex basketball maneuvers including dribbling, shooting and leaping toward the hoop. The clip has attracted widespread attention due to the machine’s unusually fluid motion, reinforcing its positioning among the most human-like robots currently in development. The footage shows the G1 bouncing a basketball and aiming for the basket from multiple positions before attempting to evade a human defender.
The robot was trained by a research group affiliated with the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST). The team used a method called SkillMimic, a framework that captures detailed human motion data through video and motion-tracking suits. A digital copy of the robot first practices inside a simulated environment before the trained movements are transferred to the physical machine, allowing the G1 to replicate advanced motor sequences consistently.
The G1 performs a range of actions associated with professional basketball players, including driving toward the basket and jumping to take a shot. In one interaction, the robot attempts to score while a human player blocks the ball. According to the video description, the humanoid can “dribble and shoot like a professional player,” a claim reflected in the robot’s coordinated timing and balance during the demonstration.
The Unitree G1, which became available in February 2025 at a price of roughly US$13,000, has gained visibility in earlier clips showcasing human-like acrobatics and martial-arts-style movements. The model competes with a growing field of humanoid robots including Tesla’s Optimus and XPeng’s Iron. Industry observers note that attention around the segment has intensified following viral recordings of robots displaying physical capabilities that resemble human athletic behavior.
See also: Russian Humanoid Robot AIdol Stumbles in Debut Demonstration
Adoption of SkillMimic and multi-stage simulation training is being viewed by robotics specialists as a potential milestone toward expanding industrial and domestic use cases for humanoids. Researchers involved in the project have not announced future sport-oriented demonstrations but emphasized in earlier discussions that athletic tasks provide a useful benchmark due to their demand for rapid balance adjustments and coordinated whole-body motion.