United Arrows designs a clothing line for humanoid robots, starting with the Unitree G1
Japan's United Arrows and GMO AIR unveiled a four-piece wardrobe for humanoid robots, engineered for joints, heat dissipation and robot proportions.
Japan's fashion industry has officially reached the robot era. Clothing retailer United Arrows and GMO AI & Robotics (GMO AIR), the robotics arm of the GMO Internet Group, announced on Tuesday, October 20, that they have jointly developed an original clothing line designed specifically for humanoid robots — cut for the Unitree G1, the compact general-purpose humanoid. It is the first time United Arrows has designed garments for machines.
The collection has four items: a jacket, pants, a T-shirt and a scarf, under the concept of “unisex” and “uniform.” Every decision was driven by the robot's body rather than a human's. United Arrows designer Osamu Suzuki said the team removed the jacket's lining entirely so fabric cannot get tangled in joint motors, and cut a wide straight silhouette around the G1's range of motion. Collar and sleeve details preserve a suit-like appearance, while belt loops and pockets that a robot will never use are kept for the sake of looking like real clothes. The fabric is light gray to match the robot's metallic finish.
“Rather than just making clothes for robots, this is an initiative to design a new culture and lifestyle in which people and robots coexist comfortably,” said Tokuro Iwana, head of United Arrows' corporate business division, at the launch briefing in Tokyo. GMO AIR's Myeong-won Kim said the point is affection: as humanoids spread into reception and customer-facing roles, looking approachable matters as much as mechanical performance.
Orders opened on October 20 through GMO AIR, with sales planned through the company's “GMO Humanoid.shop” and pop-up events. United Arrows has also published an interview on the collaboration on its editorial platform. It is, as far as either company can tell, the first fashion-label wardrobe made for a general-purpose humanoid robot.