Unitree G1
Bipedal humanoid robot by Unitree Robotics, designed as a compact research, development, and developer platform.
Applications
- Research
- Home Assistance
**ROS 2 Jazzy Jalisco** is the ninth stable ROS 2 distribution and the fourth LTS in the project's history (after Foxy, Humble; Iron was not an LTS). Released on May 23, 2024 by Open Robotics, with a **5-year support cycle until May 23, 2029**, making Jazzy the main ROS 2 development platform for the years ahead.
**Key improvements**: (1) **Multi-Threaded Executor improvements** — elimination of many starvation bugs from previous distros, better priority inversion handling. (2) **`rmw_zenoh_cpp`** — a new middleware backend based on Eclipse Zenoh, an alternative to DDS in scenarios with unstable networks (WiFi, mesh networks, edge-to-cloud). (3) **Fast DDS 3.0** as the default — larger out-of-the-box message sizes (up to 100 MB), better SHM transport. (4) **`ros2 component standalone`** — a container without ros_environment for a minimal installation. (5) **REP-2018 'External Tooling Definition'** — formalization of interfaces for ros2cli plugins. (6) **`launch_ros` async API** — non-blocking startup for complex bring-up procedures.
**Platform**: Ubuntu 24.04 (Tier 1), RHEL 9 (Tier 1), Windows 10/11 (Tier 1), macOS 13+ (Tier 3). Architecture: amd64, arm64 (Jetson AGX Orin, Raspberry Pi 5, native Apple Silicon), armhf deprecated. Default DDS: Fast DDS 3.0; alternatives: Cyclone DDS, Zenoh.
**Lifecycle**: Initial release May 23, 2024, planned EOL May 23, 2029 (5 years). This LTS covers Ubuntu 24.04 LTS (10 years with Pro). Patch releases every ~6 months.
**Migration**: from Iron → Jazzy: most code compiles without changes; new deprecated patterns include `rclcpp::Logger::set_level()` (instead of manipulating handlers) and `rclcpp_action` with lifecycle-aware goal handles. From Humble → Jazzy: the main changes are in cmake (cmake_minimum_required 3.10 → 3.20), python typing improvements in rclpy.
**Adoption in Q1 2026**: Jazzy is already the main target for new projects (the Open Source Robotics Foundation recommends it), covers ~45% of active ROS 2 installations, with Humble remaining at ~40% (LTS), Iron <5%.
Middleware is a software layer that mediates between applications, services, sensors, drivers, and execution layers. In robotics, middleware is typically responsible for inter-process communication, message passing, hardware abstraction, and module integration within a single system. The most widely used robotics middleware is ROS (Robot Operating System), which provides a publish-subscribe message bus, service calls, and a rich ecosystem of packages.
A Runtime is the environment or execution layer used to run code, load libraries, manage dependencies, and operate applications or services — either in real time or during normal system operation. In robotics this includes real-time operating system (RTOS) runtimes, ROS 2 executor runtimes, containerised execution environments (Docker, podman), and embedded C++ runtimes on microcontrollers.
An SDK (Software Development Kit) is a curated set of libraries, interfaces, tools, sample code, and documentation intended for building applications and integrating with a specific hardware device, platform, or service. In robotics, an SDK typically exposes device control, telemetry, sensor access, configuration, and execution functions, significantly reducing the time-to-first-integration for developers targeting a specific robot or platform.
An API Library is a software package that exposes programmatic interfaces for communicating with a device, service, or system. In robotics it typically forms a lightweight integration layer built on top of the manufacturer's official API or an open-source project, abstracting low-level protocol details and providing language-native bindings (Python, C++, Java, etc.).
A Developer Tool is software designed to support the development workflow, including configuration, debugging, testing, monitoring, validation, and integration of robotic and embedded systems. Examples include IDE plugins, visual debuggers, log analysers, hardware-in-the-loop (HIL) test harnesses, and code-generation utilities specific to robotics platforms.
**Boston Dynamics Spot Release 4.0** (Q4 2024) — native ROS 2 Jazzy support in the Spot SDK + GraphNav stack. **Agility Robotics Digit** uses Jazzy in the fleet management layer (Amazon BFI1 deployment). **NASA VIPER** (planned lunar rover) — Jazzy as the baseline OS for mission software. **Honda CI-MM2 (2025 model)** — Honda's first commercial mobility on ROS 2 Jazzy. **Universal Robots PolyScope X (2025)** — Jazzy backend for URCap third-party plugins. **Microsoft Project AirSim 2.0** uses a Jazzy bridge for autonomous flight research. **Open Source Robotics Foundation Maintenance Releases** every quarter stabilize adoption in production systems.
Q1 2026: ROS 2 Jazzy installed on ~80,000 active systems (reported to `ros-stats`). ROS Index indexed ~6,500 packages on Jazzy (vs. ~7,000 on Humble after 3 years). ROS Discourse 'jazzy-jalisco' tag: ~2,100 threads. Discord ROSCon 2024 'jazzy' channel ~3,500 members. Google Trends for Jazzy 'ROS 2' overtook Iron in Q3 2024 and Humble in Q3 2025.
Bipedal humanoid robot by Unitree Robotics, designed as a compact research, development, and developer platform.
Unitree H1 is a full-size general-purpose humanoid robot (~180 cm, ~47 kg). Bipedal, 5 DOF per leg + 4 DOF per arm, 3.3 m/s walking speed, 360° perception via 3D LiDAR + depth camera, Unitree M107 PMSM joint motors with ~360 N·m peak knee torque. Standard compute: Intel Core i5/i7; optional NVIDIA Jetson Orin NX.
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Ubuntu 24.04 LTS 'Noble Numbat' — supported until April 2029. The host for ROS 2 Jazzy.
Installation: `sudo apt install ros-jazzy-desktop` (Ubuntu 24.04) or Docker `osrf/ros:jazzy-desktop`. Full desktop installation ~15 GB; minimal ros-base ~2.5 GB. Requires Ubuntu 24.04 LTS (Tier 1) or Docker on other OSes.
License family: Permissive
Planned: rclcpp::AnyExecutor refactor, native Vulkan rendering in rviz2, improved DDS Discovery for large fleets (>500 nodes).
Security audit fixes, RMW transports bug fixes, integration with Gazebo Harmonic 8.x.
rclcpp performance improvements, rclpy typing additions, Apple Silicon native builds in Tier 2.
Stabilization release — fixes in rmw_zenoh adapter, ros2 launch enhancements, nav2 dependency synchronization.
First stable version — Fast DDS 3.0, rmw_zenoh, multi-threaded executor improvements, Ubuntu 24.04 baseline.
