On August 5, 2026, ZEALS — a Tokyo-based conversational AI company established in 2014 and operating from its headquarters in Meguro — launched the D1, the first humanoid robot in Japan to be commercially available and certified for use in hospital environments. The compact, wheeled robot, priced at ¥5,000,000 (approximately $32,000) per unit, is now up for sale and deployment in medical facilities after successfully completing a hospital-based proof-of-concept trial.
What sets the D1 apart from most humanoid robots is the hardware it utilizes. The robot is constructed on the Unitree G1 chassis, a platform that the U.S. Federal Communications Commission recently included in its Covered List just eight days before the launch.
Hospital certification sidesteps U.S. security warnings
Despite the U.S. raising serious concerns over the G1’s security, Japanese hospitals are now being asked to sign deployment agreements for the D1. The D1 passed a three-day trial at the University of Tsukuba Hospital in March 2026, demonstrating its ability to avoid collisions and falls while delivering items within a controlled setting. ZEALS highlights this as Japan’s first successful use of a humanoid in a hospital environment, underscoring the robot’s proven safety and functionality.
Designed by Omakase Robotics — a division within ZEALS — the D1 was purpose-built to meet the needs of hospitals. Standing 129.3 centimeters tall, it features a wheeled base instead of legs to minimize the instability common in bipedal models. This design simplifies navigation through narrow hospital corridors, standard-sized doors, and elevators, all without the need for costly changes to infrastructure. Its battery life of roughly eight hours mirrors the typical Japanese workday.
Security issues persist despite certification
The Unitree G1 is affected by a significant security flaw known as UniPwn, a wormable Bluetooth vulnerability that enables attackers to achieve root-level access to the robot. Revealed in September 2025, this flaw still lacked a confirmed firmware fix as of July 28, 2026. Although the G1 was employed during the Tsukuba Hospital trial, the unit used there ran Omakase OS but retained the hardware vulnerability.
The trial demonstrated the D1’s ability to operate effectively in a hospital setting. It illustrated the robot's capacity to move autonomously, avoid obstacles, and navigate with voice guidance. However, the trial did not examine the robot’s hardware security. The certification process concentrated on the robot’s software and safety features, without addressing the existing hardware vulnerabilities in the launch documentation.
ZEALS brands the D1 as 'quasi-domestic' — but China's influence remains
ZEALS refers to the D1 as a 'quasi-domestic' product, using the Japanese term jun-kokusan. This classification means that although the AI software, control systems, and oversight are managed in Japan, the hardware still comes from a Chinese manufacturer. According to the company, requiring complete domestic sourcing would increase costs and limit access to top-tier hardware developed globally.
ZEALS and Unitree, the Chinese company behind the G1, announced a strategic partnership in February 2026. The D1’s trial at Tsukuba Hospital used Unitree’s hardware, and both companies plan to extend their collaboration into the U.S. market. For now, Japanese hospitals are advised to focus on the robot’s capabilities and overlook the potential risks tied to its hardware, which is subject to Chinese laws.
At the Humanoids Summit Tokyo in May 2026, Shuichi Nagao — CTO of Omakase Robotics — outlined a practical engineering decision. Bipedal humanoid systems are currently unable to be sold in Japan due to safety and compliance issues. Regulations governing service robots in shared human environments — such as hospitals and care facilities — establish safety standards that current bipedal models cannot reliably meet. By using a wheeled base, the D1 avoids these restrictions.
Robots with upper bodies mounted on a wheeled base significantly lower the risk of falling — a concern that is particularly relevant in a hospital. This is not just a theoretical issue but directly impacts whether a product is viable or an insurance risk. The D1’s arms feature an additional safety measure for the hospital environment: every joint is equipped with a torque sensor that stops motion when it detects contact with a person or object. This is the same collaborative-robot (cobot) safety framework used in factories, allowing robots to share workspaces with humans without physical barriers, and now applied to a mobile platform in an active medical environment.
During navigation, the D1 dynamically adjusts its speed and trajectory as it detects nearby humans or obstacles through its sensors. This adaptability is essential for operating in a high-traffic hospital setting where unpredictable movement is common. The robot’s software integrates these adjustments into real-time behavior, enhancing its operational effectiveness and safety in a clinical environment.
The D1’s trial at Tsukuba Hospital did prove one key point: a robot using Omakase OS can function safely in a hospital. However, it did not confirm that the Unitree G1’s security flaws have been resolved. The hardware’s vulnerabilities, like the wormable Bluetooth exploit, remain a critical issue despite the software-level success of the trial. This raises questions about whether the robot’s certification truly reflects a complete evaluation of the system’s security.
ZEALS CEO Masahiro Shimizu explained in the official press release that insisting on fully domestic components at this stage would raise costs and prevent the company from accessing advanced hardware being developed overseas. This pragmatic approach positions the D1 as a bridge between global innovation and domestic implementation. However, the reliance on foreign hardware, particularly one flagged for national security concerns, complicates the robot’s deployment in sensitive environments like hospitals.
The strategic partnership with Unitree is a critical aspect of ZEALS' long-term vision. While the D1 is currently focused on the Japanese market, the collaboration aims to extend the robot’s reach into the U.S. However, the U.S. government’s inclusion of the Unitree G1 on its Covered List may pose challenges for such expansion. The U.S. decision raises questions about the security implications of using hardware developed under Chinese laws that mandate cooperation with intelligence efforts, complicating international deployments.