On June 5, 2026, a modified Unitree G1 humanoid robot known as "Pemba" summited Chimborazo, a 6,268-meter volcano in Ecuador. It marks the first completed leg of an ambitious "Triple Crown" expedition, with Mount Everest as the ultimate goal. The project is led by engineer Pablo, a former WWF volunteer who envisions mobile robots as the next generation of wildlife conservation tools in the most inaccessible corners of the planet.
Key takeaways
- Unitree G1 summited Chimborazo (6,268 m) on June 5, 2026 — the first such expedition featuring a humanoid robot
- The robot walked autonomously on all sections with less than a 30-degree incline; steeper terrain required the team to carry it
- The full summit push lasted 16 hours; vehicles are not permitted above 4,600 m on Chimborazo
- Next targets are Mauna Kea (Hawaii) and then Everest — provisionally October 2026, possible slip to April 2027
- Nepal has no existing regulations covering robots on Everest; the team is negotiating with local authorities
Robots instead of camera networks
Pablo, the Pemba project lead, is not a typical robotics engineer. He dropped out of a prestigious French engineering school to work with the WWF in the Congo and the Amazon. In the field, he witnessed firsthand how conventional robotic systems fail in unstructured natural environments. That observation became the core premise of the entire project: 97% of Earth's surface is inaccessible to wheeled or tracked robots.
Traditional wildlife monitoring relies on dense networks of stationary cameras. Pablo proposes a different approach: instead of 100,000 cameras scattered across the Amazon, a handful of mobile legged platforms. Powered by solar energy and connected via Starlink, they would autonomously patrol reserves and deliver real-time data to indigenous communities protecting their land.
What the climb actually looked like
On Chimborazo, regulations prohibit vehicles above 4,600 meters. Pemba therefore had to ascend under its own power — at least on part of the route. During the 16-hour summit push, the robot walked autonomously on every section where the incline stayed below 30 degrees. On steeper and more complex terrain, the expedition team carried it.
Engineers are already training new reinforcement learning policies to gradually increase the robot's ability to handle steeper inclines without assistance. Each additional degree of slope is its own engineering problem. Thermal resilience is not new territory for the Unitree G1 — the platform was previously tested in temperatures as low as -47°C during a winter demonstration in the Altay region.
The hardware required extensive modification. Above 5,000 meters, the robot faces extreme thermal stress — both freezing cold and intense solar radiation that can overheat its motors. The team designed a custom ventilation system inside the robot's jacket to manage both extremes. An active "breather" mechanism with external airflow may be needed in the future.
Everest and a regulatory terra incognita
After Chimborazo, the next stop is Mauna Kea in Hawaii — the world's tallest mountain when measured from its underwater base. From there, the expedition is headed for Everest.
The Everest attempt was originally targeted for earlier in 2026 and is now provisionally set for October 2026, with a possible slip to April 2027. The reason: Nepal has no legal framework covering robots on mountain trails. Pemba is, quite literally, having to create legislation from scratch. The team is actively working with the Nepalese government to establish the necessary regulatory framework.
The project's funding model is equally unconventional. Pemba is co-financed through cryptocurrency tokens on the Virtuals platform — a model inspired by digital fundraising used for the Congo's Virunga National Park. The entire expedition is broadcast live on-chain.
Why it matters
Most humanoid robot tests take place in controlled settings: factory floors, warehouses, laboratories. Project Pemba is a deliberate departure from that paradigm. It demonstrates that humanoid robots can already operate in extreme natural environments — though with significant limitations. The robot required human assistance on steep sections and needed substantial hardware modifications to survive altitude conditions.
The regulatory dimension is equally significant. The Everest expedition has already collided with a complete absence of rules governing robots in mountainous terrain. This may be the first of many cases where robotic deployment physically outpaces institutional readiness. How the robotics industry responds to this gap will matter not only for Pemba, but for dozens of other field projects scheduled over the coming years.
What next?
- Ascent of Mauna Kea (Hawaii) — the next Triple Crown stage, no confirmed date
- Everest attempt provisionally set for October 2026, possible slip to April 2027 (pending Nepalese regulatory approval)
- New reinforcement learning policies for slopes exceeding 30 degrees — currently in training
Sources
Humanoids Daily — Project Pemba: A Unitree G1 Humanoid is Climbing the World's Tallest Peaks
X (Twitter) Pablo Berlanga — @pabloberlangab
Robot Everest — roboteverest.com
