130,000 steps at -53.3°F: Unitree G1 robot stomps Olympic logo into the snow

The Unitree G1 has already made several appearances in action – from playing table tennis to showcasing its kung fu moves. Now, the humanoid robot is part of a larger project linked to the 2026 Winter Olympics. In China’s Altay region in Xinjiang, it traversed untouched snow to stamp the Olympic logo into the ground. The G1 endured extreme conditions, with temperatures dropping as low as -53.3 °F (-47.4 °C), well beyond what conventional technology is typically designed to withstand.

According to Unitree, the G1 was specially equipped to operate in extreme cold. The robot wore a thermal jacket, relied on an insulated battery, featured protected joints, and ran on adapted software. Navigation was handled via China’s Beidou satellite system, providing positioning accuracy of around four inches (about ten centimeters). The robotics company emphasized that the entire operation was carried out without any human intervention.

In total, the 4.17-foot-tall (1.27-meter) and 77-pound (35-kilogram) robot took around 130,000 steps, carving a logo measuring roughly 610 by 328 feet (186 × 100 meters) into the snow. A YouTube video released on February 2 shows the G1 walking briefly before cutting to the finished logo – which turned out remarkably well.

What makes the feat particularly impressive is the environment the G1 operated in. Navigating deep snow and extreme sub-zero temperatures is far more demanding than moving across flat asphalt, making its precise movements all the more noteworthy. While some viewers have questioned the authenticity of the footage, the overall reaction in the YouTube comments has been largely positive, with many expressing amazement at the robot’s performance.