Unitree GD01: Chinese robot maker launches 500 kilogram piloted robot
Chinese company Unitree unveiled the GD01, a piloted robot that can carry a person, walk on two legs and, when required, transform into a four legged machine. The company calls it the world’s first production ready manned transforming robot. Prices start at 3.9 million yuan, around €500,000.
A robot with a seat, not just a stage trick
In a short video released by Unitree, company founder Wang Xingxing climbs into the GD01’s open cockpit, straps himself into the seat and lets the machine step across a workshop floor. The robot then gives a more theatrical demonstration of strength by smashing through a brick wall before later moving in its four legged configuration.
That matters because the GD01 is not merely a static show model built for a technology fair. According to Unitree, it is an orderable civilian vehicle. The machine weighs about 500 kilograms with its pilot on board, and the company asks users to treat the robot “kindly and safely”, which is probably sound advice when the product in question can walk through masonry.
Key details remain under wraps
Unitree currently confirms only the core points. The GD01 is piloted, transformable, intended for civilian use and priced from 3.9 million yuan. The company has not yet published its battery capacity, operating time, speed, payload or exact production volume.
Unitree describes the GD01 as the world’s first mass production ready manned mecha. According to the South China Morning Post, the company positions it as a civilian transport machine that walks on two legs and can switch to four legged movement.
For now, that leaves the GD01 somewhere between vehicle, robot and very expensive proof of ambition. It is not hard to see why the video spread quickly. Nor is it hard to imagine why anyone standing near the brick wall might prefer a little more technical data before calling it transport.
