Controls reference¶

All combinations on this page are for firmware V1.0.4. Verify your firmware in the mobile application under About before the first session.

Mode state machine¶

   POWER OFF
        │  battery button: one short press, then hold ≥2 s
        │  wait ~1 minute
        ▼
   ZERO TORQUE ─────────── joints are free, the robot is limp
        │                  reachable from any state: L2+Y
        │  L2+B
        ▼
   DAMPING ─────────────── motors are de-energised. A standing robot FALLS
        │  TTS: "Damp mode."  Do not move the joints by hand in this mode
        │                     This is also the EMERGENCY STOP
        │  L2+↑  (Lock Stand)
        ▼
   READY ───────────────── the pose is held, there is no active balancing
        │  TTS: "Ready mode."
        │  R2+A  (Run Control)   or   R1+Y  (Main Operation, 3-DoF waist)
        ▼                             R1+X  (for a 1-DoF waist)
   MOTION ──────────────── active balancing, stick control
        │  TTS: "Walk-around mode activated. Control your speed and stay alert."
        │  left stick — forward/backward · right stick — turn
        │
        ├──► START ─────────── toggle stand ⇄ walk
        ├──► 2×L2 / 2×L1 ───── low / high speed        (in R1+X, R1+Y)
        ├──► R2+↓ / R2+↑ ───── slow / fast run         (in R2+A)
        ├──► R1+arrows ─────── drift compensation      (in R1+X, R1+Y)
        ├──► 2×START ───────── continuous walking — not recommended
        └──► DANCE mode ────── hold the triangle button
                  └─ after the dance → automatically Run mode

   POSTURES (holding L2):
      L2+A → Squat Switch        L2+← → Seated Mode
      L2+X → Lying / Standing    L2+R2 → Debug Mode

   STOPPING LADDER (soft to hard):
      1× START  → stops walking, keeps standing        ← normal stop
      2× START  → interrupts a running action          ← cancel an animation
      L2+B      → Damping, sinks slowly to the floor   ← EMERGENCY
      battery   → only if the robot is suspended or seated  ← last resort

Button combinations¶

Action	Combination
Power on / off	Battery button: one short press, then hold ≥2 s
Boot time	~1 minute to Zero Torque
Zero Torque	`L2`+`Y`
Damping	`L2`+`B` — from an active state, hold the combination rather than tapping it
Lock Stand → Ready	L2+↑
Squat Switch	`L2`+`A` (toggle)
Seated Mode	L2+←
Lying / Standing	`L2`+`X`
Debug Mode	`L2`+`R2` — enter while the robot is suspended and in Damping
Run Control	`R2`+`A`
Main Operation Control (1-DoF waist)	`R1`+`X`
Main Operation Control (3-DoF waist — our robot)	`R1`+`Y` — "Only Used For 3-DOF Waist Structure"
Stand ⇄ walk	single press of START
Continuous walking	double press of START — not recommended
Low / high speed	2×L2 / 2×L1 (inside R1+X, R1+Y)
Slow / fast run	R2+↓ / R2+↑ (inside R2+A)
Lean forward / backward	hold START+↑ / START+↓
Drift compensation	R1 + arrows (inside R1+X, R1+Y)
Handshake	`SELECT`+`A` (hold SELECT, press A)
Wave hand	`SELECT`+`Y`
Turn around and wave	`SELECT`+`X`
Emergency stop	`L2`+`B` — the robot sinks slowly to the floor
Stand up from the floor	`L2`+`X`
Dance mode	hold the triangle button; start a dance with `R1`+`B`
Remote control calibration	`F1`+`F3` → rotate both sticks fully around → `F3` to save

Remote control symbols

A triangle next to a button means hold it. A star means a short press.

Motion modes¶

Mode	Entry	Character
Main Operation Control	`R1`+`Y` for our robot (3-DoF waist); `R1`+`X` for a 1-DoF configuration	More stable, more assured, noticeably louder
Run Control	`R2`+`A`	Faster, less stable gait

Unitree specifies R1+Y for robots with a 3-DoF waist: "Only Used For 3-DOF Waist Structure". Our unit has a 3-DoF waist, so R1+Y is the mode to use.

Continuous walking

A double press of START enables Continuous Walking, which Unitree marks as not recommended. Do not confuse it with the single press of START, which stops walking.

Automatic power-off¶

The robot powers itself off after 10 minutes of remote control inactivity.