The Chinese robotics giant Unitree has presented the GD01a mecha-style machine, as the giant robots in Japanese science fiction are popularly known, capable of alternating between bipedal and quadrupedal walking, like a Transformercontinuing with the comparisons with fiction. It can be manned by a pilot who climbs inside, it is built with a high resistance alloy and is designed for civil transport.
According to the company, based in Hangzhouweighs 500 kilos with the pilot on board and has a starting price of 3.9 million yuan, about 489,000 euros. However, on its YouTube page, Unitree talks about a price starting at $650,000, about 554,000 euros. The company describes it as a model ready for production, although for now it is not listed as available for open sale.
Unitree’s GD01 demo video shows the mecha carrying a pilot in a cockpit integrated into the torso while walking in a bipedal position. He is seen knocking down a brick wall with one blow and then reconfigure your chassis into a four-legged structure. In upright mode, this convertible civilian vehicle reaches approximately 1.6 times the height of an average adult, as reported by 36Kr.
The robot demonstrates stable bipedal gait, high strength capable of knocking down a brick wall, and a rigid structure that remains stable under impact. The system can fold its legs, adjust its center of gravity and transition to a quadrupedal shape in a matter of secondsmaintaining movement without external assistance on uneven terrain.
Unitree has posted the video, but has said very little about its technical specifications. Yes, it has urged users to Do not make dangerous modifications or extreme testsand points out that humanoid robotics is still in an early experimental phasewith functional limitations for particular users.
The GD01 joins Unitree’s rapidly growing catalog of the Chinese humanoid robot industry. In April, the company launched a half-body humanoid robotwith torso, head and arms, with a price from 26,900 yuan, about 3,400 eurosdesigned with modular deployment options, including a fixed base and mobile chassis, for applications in research, light industry and services.
According to the research firm OmdiaChinese companies represented close to 90% of global sales of humanoid robots by 2025. Unitree would have sent more than 5,500 humanoid robots last year, while American companies such as tesla, Figure AI and Agility Robotics they shipped around 150 units each during the same period, according to the South China Morning Post.
One reason for this asymmetry is that Chinese humanoid robots have Lower prices than many Western equivalents. The basic humanoid R1 Unitree costs about $6,000, around 5,100 euroswhile his rival AgiBot offers a model with a price close to $14,000, about 11,900 euros. Elon MuskCEO of Tesla, has estimated that the future cost of the humanoid robot Optimus could be between 20,000 and 30,000 dollars, approximately between 17,000 and 25,600 euros.
Unitree sells its R1 humanoids internationally and G1as well as his robot dog Go2through the platform AliExpress of Alibabawith the aim of reaching markets in North America, Europe and Japan. Chinese humanoid robots have also begun to appear in airports and logistics operations, including testing Japan Airlines with Unitree systems and UBTech Robotics at Haneda Airport in Tokyo, according to SCMP.