what are a robot's degrees of freedom?

The number tells only half the story: where they are matters. The da Vinci's instruments articulate seven degrees of freedom at the tip, more than a human wrist, and that is exactly its surgical value proposition. The Unitree G1 sells in configurations from 23 to 43: the difference is mostly the hands, which is where degrees of freedom explode and where cheap humanoids cut corners.

So when reading a spec sheet, the useful question is not 'how many' but 'how many, for which task'. A warehouse AMR works with three (two wheels and a lift) because its job is flat; a humanoid promising to fold laundry needs dozens, each with its own actuator to power and control. Degrees of freedom are mechanical ambition expressed as a number.