Side-by-side comparison of Alpha 1S (UBTECH Robotics Corp Ltd.) and Athlete (Noetix Robotics) — specs, pricing, Robolist Product Score, and verified deployments. Updated daily.
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Manufacturer Country
Year First Available
Verified Deployments
Price Range (USD)
Battery / Shift Runtime
Availability Status
Height
Weight
Mobility Type
Humanoid Subtype
Walking Speed
Running Capable
Stair Climbing
Terrain
Payload
Total DOF
Arm DOF
Bimanual Coordination
Onboard Compute
Compute Platform
VLM Capable
Foundation Models
Imitation Learning
Programming
Runtime
Charging Method
Battery Swap
Avg Power Consumption
SDK Languages
ROS Support
Open API
Deployment Maturity
Price (USD)
Price Tier
Pricing Model
Applications
| Layer 1: Identity & Trust | ||
| Manufacturer Country | China | China |
| Year First Available (values differ) | 2013 | 2025 |
| Verified Deployments | 0 Deployments | 0 Deployments |
| Layer 2: Operational | ||
| Price Range (USD) (values differ) | $3,999 | $13,000 |
| Battery / Shift Runtime (values differ) | 1 hrs | 2 hrs |
| Availability Status | ACTIVE | ACTIVE |
| Layer 3: Category Specific | ||
| Physical Form Factor | ||
| Height (values differ) | 59 mm | 118 mm |
| Weight (values differ) | 4 kg | 30 kg |
| Mobility Type | bipedal | bipedal |
| Humanoid Subtype (values differ) | service humanoid | full bipedal |
| Walking Speed (values differ) | — | 1.2 m/s |
| Running Capable (values differ) | — | run capable |
| Stair Climbing (values differ) | No | — |
| Terrain (values differ) | flat indoor | flat indoor |
| Payload & Dexterity | ||
| Payload (values differ) | — | 5 kg |
| Total DOF (values differ) | 20 | 18 |
| Arm DOF (values differ) | 3 | 4 |
| Bimanual Coordination (values differ) | No | — |
| Compute & AI | ||
| Onboard Compute (values differ) | RM 32位 Cortex-A7 CPU: 900MHz | 6 TOPS |
| Compute Platform (values differ) | — | NVIDIA Jetson Orin |
| VLM Capable (values differ) | No | — |
| Foundation Models (values differ) | false | — |
| Imitation Learning (values differ) | No | Yes |
| Programming (values differ) | modular programming | visual_block, teleoperation |
| Battery & Power | ||
| Runtime | 1 hrs | 1 hrs |
| Charging Method (values differ) | — | manual swap |
| Battery Swap (values differ) | No | Yes |
| Avg Power Consumption (values differ) | — | 15 W |
| Software | ||
| SDK Languages (values differ) | Chinese | Python, C++ |
| ROS Support (values differ) | No | ros2 community |
| Open API (values differ) | No | Yes |
| Reliability | ||
| Deployment Maturity (values differ) | commercial | production pilot |
| Commercial | ||
| Price (USD) (values differ) | $3,999 | $13,000 |
| Price Tier (values differ) | 40-80K | 10-20K |
| Pricing Model | purchase | purchase |
| Applications (values differ) | 娱乐 | entertainment, research, companionship |
Insufficient data for full comparison
The following fields had no data for any of the selected robots: Payload (Peak), Hand DOF, Arm Reach, Grip Strength, Manipulation Repeatability, Tool Use, Teleoperation, Battery Capacity, Charging Time, Force-Limited Arms, Fall Recovery, Fall Detection Response, Emergency Stops, Human Detection Method, Safe Speed Near Humans, Simulation Platforms, Air-Gap Capable, MTBF, Task Success Rate, IP Rating, Noise Level, RaaS / Month, Developer Unit Price, Delivery Lead Time, Warranty, Production Pilots
Frequently asked
Alpha 1S is made by UBTECH Robotics Corp Ltd., based in CN. Athlete is made by Noetix Robotics, based in CN.
Alpha 1S launched in 2013. Athlete launched in 2025.
Alpha 1S is listed at $3,999. Athlete is listed at $13,000.
Alpha 1S scores 38/100. Athlete scores 37/100. The Product Score blends specs, pricing transparency, verified deployments, and independent media coverage — see methodology for the full breakdown.
Both robots are classified as Humanoid on Robolist. Filters and ranking treat them as direct alternatives.
Hardware cost is one input. Humanoid TCO also includes integration, training, downtime, and end-of-life. Our breakdown: Humanoid TCO: Hardware, Cloud Subscriptions, and the Cost of Teleop Time.
Spec sheets only show part of the story. Useful vendor questions cover support, lifecycle, integration cost, and references. We have a buyer-focused checklist: Vendor Selection for Humanoids: The 10 Questions You Must Ask.
Going deeper — picking the right robot
Humanoid TCO: Hardware, Cloud Subscriptions, and the Cost of Teleop Time
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Vendor Selection for Humanoids: The 10 Questions You Must Ask
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Running a Humanoid Pilot: Scope, Success Criteria, and Exit Options
9 min readHumanoid Robots
Build vs buy vs lease: which model fits a first deployment
8 min readChoosing Your First Robot
The hidden specs vendors hope you'll miss
10 min readReading the Spec Sheet
Alpha 1S vs Athlete compares two robots in the humanoid category. All data is sourced from manufacturer spec sheets, verified deployments, and third-party filings; see our methodology for how the Robolist Product Score is calculated.