Unitree experienced mixed outcomes at the Mount Tai Robot Race in China, which required robots to climb 3,100 stone steps.

On a positive note, Unitree's quadruped robot won the robotic dog sprint category with a time of 43 minutes and 41 seconds. However, its G1 humanoid robot overheated during the climb and had to be removed from the course on a stretcher. Unlike quadrupeds, a bipedal humanoid like the G1 builds up massive heat inside compact joint housings until thermal protection forces a squat-and-shutdown.

Controlled backflips on a gym mat require only 3 seconds of burst power. However, sustained 45-minute uphill locomotion in the wild presents a completely different challenge, demonstrating that these humanoids are not yet commercially ready.