Unitree Unveils GD01 Optionally Manned Mecha Robot
- tech360.tv
- 2 hours ago
- 2 min read
China’s robotics organisation, Unitree, has unveiled the GD01, a mecha-style machine described as the world’s first production-ready, optionally manned robot. The GD01 features stable bipedal walking, strong force output to topple walls, and a quick switch to quadruped mode for movement across rough terrain.
Built from high-strength alloy for civilian transport applications, the GD01 weighs 500 kilograms with a pilot on board. Its starting price is 3.9 million yuan (USD 573,674).
The robot can carry a pilot in a torso-mounted cockpit, demonstrating a sharp size contrast between operator and machine. In its upright mode, the robot reaches roughly 1.6 times the height of an average adult.
A demonstration video shows the mecha walking in a humanoid stance, striking a stack of bricks, and reconfiguring its chassis into a four-legged configuration. It can fold its legs, adjust its centre of gravity, and transition into a quadruped form within seconds, continuing movement without external assistance across uneven terrain.
The company issued a safety notice, urging users not to attempt hazardous modifications or extreme tests. It noted that humanoid robotics remains in an early experimental stage with functional limitations for personal users.
The GD01 adds to the Unitree portfolio amid rapid growth in China’s humanoid robotics industry. Unitree launched an upper-body bipedal humanoid robot starting at 26,900 yuan (USD 4,290), designed with modular deployment options including a fixed base and mobile chassis. This model is for use in research, light industry, and service applications.
Unitree reportedly shipped more than 5,500 humanoid robots in the previous year, while US companies such as Tesla, Figure AI, and Agility Robotics each shipped around 150 units during the same period. Chinese companies are projected to account for nearly 90% of global humanoid robot sales in 2025.
Chinese humanoid robots are also priced lower than many Western alternatives. Unitree’s entry-level humanoid R1 costs about USD 6,000, while rival AgiBot offers a model priced around USD 14,000. Elon Musk has estimated that the future cost of the Optimus humanoid robot could fall between USD 20,000 and USD 30,000.
Unitree sells its R1, G1 humanoids, and Go2 robot dog internationally via Alibaba’s AliExpress platform, targeting markets in North America, Europe, and Japan. Chinese humanoid robots have begun appearing in airports and logistics operations, including trials by Japan Airlines using systems from Unitree and UBTech Robotics at Tokyo’s Haneda Airport.
Unitree filed for an IPO on Shanghai’s STAR Market, planning to allocate about 85% of its 4.2 billion yuan (USD 61 million) fundraising target to research and development. This includes over 2 billion yuan (USD 29 million) for robotics model development.
Unitree unveiled the GD01, an optionally manned mecha robot with bipedal and quadruped modes.
The GD01 weighs 500 kilograms with a pilot and has a starting price of 3.9 million yuan (USD 573,674).
Unitree also offers lower-cost humanoid robots, contributing to China’s growing robotics market.
Source: INTERESTING ENGINEERING
