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Unitree Robotics Releases GD01, a 500kg Transformable Bipedal/Four-Legged Manned Robot
Hangzhou-based Unitree Robotics on Tuesday unveiled the GD01, a 500kg high-strength alloy machine capable of switching between bipedal and four-legged modes. The robot, priced from 3.9 million yuan, is described by the company as the world’s first mass-produced transformable mecha. It comes as Chinese firms held nearly 90 per cent of global humanoid robot sales in 2025.
May 12, 4:54 AM·1m read1 source
South China Morning PostAudio version
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Unitree Robotics unveiled its manned mecha called the GD01 on Tuesday. The high-strength alloy machine, developed by the Hangzhou-based company, is designed for civilian transport and capable of transitioning between bipedal walking and four-legged mode.
A demonstration video shows the GD01 carrying a pilot in its torso-mounted cockpit, walking like a humanoid robot and knocking over a brick wall with its hand.
The machine then reconfigures its chassis and shifts into a four-legged crawl. The GD01 weighs 500kg with a pilot on board, roughly the weight of a grand piano. 9 million yuan, or US$573,674.
Unitree described the GD01 as the world’s first mass-produced transformable mecha. The robot resembles an Autobot from a Transformers movie. Wang Xingxing, founder and CEO of Unitree Robotics, has demonstrated the GD01 transformable mecha.
U.S. rivals. Chinese companies accounted for nearly 90 per cent of global humanoid sales in 2025, according to research firm Omdia.
Unitree shipped more than 5,500 humanoid robots last year, a person with knowledge of the matter told South China Morning Post in January. South China Morning Post reported that the GD01 bridges the gap between science fiction and reality. The company is based in Hangzhou.
