Unitree revealed the first mecha GD01, that can be mass produced. A technology from science fiction becomes reality.
For those who don’t know, mecha is a giant manned robot with legs, can have humanoid or animal shape. Until now, they existed only in videogames, animations and science fiction movies.
Source: Global Times
In a scene straight out of a futuristic trailer, Unitree Robotics CEO Wang Xingxing strapped into the GD01, a roughly 2.7-meter-tall machine touted as the world’s first production-ready manned mecha. Piloting from within, Wang maneuvered the heavy-duty machine forward, deploying its mechanical arms to smash through walls with ease.
Unveiled on Tuesday, the transformable mecha is priced from 3.9 million yuan ($650,000). The machine’s debut immediately went viral on both Chinese and foreign social media, captivating netizens who hailed the engineering breakthrough as the exact moment where “science fiction becomes reality.”
According to Lukas Ziegler, a prominent robotics evangelist in Europe with 54,000 followers on X: “But the real story here is the bigger picture. Chinese companies accounted for nearly 90% of global humanoid robot sales in 2025. Unitree alone shipped 5,500+ humanoid robots last year… The West is building incredible humanoid robots. China is building them faster, cheaper and at a scale nobody else is close to matching.”
Billed as the world’s first production ready manned mecha, the GD01 can transform, operate as a civilian vehicle, and weighs about 500 kg with a person inside, positioning it as a civilian vehicle, the company told the Global Times.
Others pointed to the high price tag, saying the 3.9-million-yuan cost is far beyond the reach of ordinary consumers.
Regarding the 3.9-million-yuan ($650,000) price tag and mass production plans, Huang Jiawei, a marketing staff member at Unitree Robotics, told the Global Times on Tuesday that the figure is only a preliminary reference price.
“The final production version may still be adjusted depending on performance optimization,” Huang said, acknowledging that the current price remains high. He added that the mecha is a special model and, while the company has the capability for large-scale production, further functional optimization and cost reduction will still take time following the product’s initial launch.
Chen Jing, vice president of the Technology and Strategy Research Institute, told the Global Times on Tuesday that the GD01 shows China has crossed a key “engineering threshold” in embodied AI. “It is no longer just a proof-of-concept machine confined to laboratories, but a product with a clear price tag and commercialization roadmap,” Chen told the Global Times.
“But its weaknesses are mainly related to real-world usability, including difficulties getting in and out of the machine, battery-life concerns, limited comfort, regulatory uncertainty and maintenance complexity,” Chen added.
Although still distant from mass adoption, these machines could eventually carve out roles in diverse fields, veteran telecom and technology analyst Ma Jihua told the Global Times, pointing to potential uses in theme parks, immersive entertainment, filmmaking, rescue efforts and operations in challenging environments.
The video below shows what GD01 can do.
Would you like to pilot the GD01? Write in the comments.
