EngineAI PM01 is a lightweight, low-cost humanoid robot from Shenzhen-based EngineAI Robotics, built for commercial and educational use, and it launched in China at a headline price of 88,000 yuan (about $12,000 USD) — among the cheapest full-size-class humanoids on the market. Its standout feature is a 320-degree waist rotation that lets it perform far more human-like, agile motions than most competing research humanoids.
What it is
PM01 is a compact bipedal humanoid positioned as an entry-level, developer-friendly platform for commercial demonstrations and educational/research use, emphasizing agile, human-like movement over industrial payload capacity.
Manufacturer & origin
PM01 is made by EngineAI Robotics (众擎机器人), a Chinese robotics company headquartered in Shenzhen and founded in October 2023. EngineAI's product line spans several humanoid and quadruped platforms including PM01, SE01, T800, SA01, S2, and JS01, with PM01 positioned as the lighter, more agile entry point below larger models like the T800.
Build type & design
PM01 is a bipedal humanoid with 24 degrees of freedom across its body and a headline 320-degree waist rotation that enables complex, human-like motions not possible on most rigid-waisted humanoids. It uses optical motion-capture technology paired with an end-to-end neural network to replicate human movement, and a dual-compute architecture combining an Intel N97 (x86) processor with an NVIDIA Jetson Orin module for perception and control, plus an Intel RealSense depth camera for visual perception. The robot supports both Windows and Ubuntu and exposes USB and RJ45 ports for external hardware.
Core specs
- Height: 1.38 m (4.5 ft); Weight: approximately 40 kg (88 lbs)
- Degrees of freedom: 24 DoF; waist rotation: 320°
- Speed: about 2 m/s (4.4 mph)
- Compute: Intel N97 (x86) + NVIDIA Jetson Orin
- Battery: quick-release battery pack, roughly 2 hours of runtime
- Payload capacity is not publicly specified by the manufacturer
What it's used for
PM01 is marketed for commercial demonstration use and for education/research, giving universities, labs, and developers an affordable full humanoid platform to experiment with bipedal locomotion, motion-capture-driven control, and general robotics development, rather than targeting industrial payload or warehouse work.
Availability & price
PM01 launched in China at 88,000 yuan (about $12,000 USD), a price EngineAI initially offered as unified promotional pricing through March 31, 2025; the company positioned this as notably cheaper than competing humanoids such as Unitree's G1. Both commercial and educational versions are sold. Current, region-specific retail pricing beyond the original launch offer has not been independently verified here, so buyers should confirm up-to-date pricing directly with EngineAI or its resellers.