Looking back on May 12, Unitree officially launched the world's first mass-producible manned mecha GD01.
Shortly after its debut, Wang Xingxing stated clearly in an interview with Xinhua News Agency that orders have been pouring in rapidly.
The news soon went viral online.
In people's past perception, mechas mostly belonged to the sci-fi world. From Gundam to Pacific Rim, cockpits of giant humanoid machines have long been the fantasy of a whole generation.
Nowadays, Unitree is turning this sci-fi fantasy from the screen into reality.
Wang Xingxing, founder and CEO of Unitree, stated that GD01 is still in continuous optimization phase.
The launch aims not merely to create a cool machine, but more importantly to accelerate the industry-wide application of robots and boost people's production efficiency.
In Wang Xingxing's view, humanoid robots are still in the early stage of industrial development, with numerous challenges yet to be overcome and resolved.
From quadruped robots to humanoid robots and further to manned mechas, Unitree has taken another solid stride forward.
The biggest feature of GD01 is its switchable biped and quadruped modes.
The total weight including the pilot is nearly 500 kilograms. As shown in Unitree's footage, the robot remains fully stable even after crashing into brick walls.
At least based on publicly available information, Unitree is arguably exploring an entirely new robot form: one that integrates mobility, manned operation, and complex terrain capability in a single machine.
Another key point is that GD01 is positioned as civilian transportation equipment, which is completely different from traditional industrial and performance robots. It is far more than just a demo-only robot.
It is widely believed that Unitree is making early layouts in the future personal mobility platform market.
Of course, there is still a long way to go before its large-scale practical application.
At present, many key specifications of the GD01 have not been officially disclosed by Unitree, including battery range, joint heat dissipation, energy efficiency, and continuous operating time.
All these factors will likely determine how far the GD01 mecha can go in the future, which remains unknown for now.
This is Unitree's usual strategy: develop the product first, then explore applicable scenarios.
Unitree is no stranger to players in the robotics industry.
Over the past few years, it has steadily followed the same path: achieve technological breakthroughs first, launch products to the market, and then identify applicable scenarios based on real-world feedback.
According to Song Wei, Secretary-General of Zhejiang Robotics Industry Association, GD01 will most likely follow the same path as quadruped robots: launch the product first, then gradually explore practical application scenarios.
Unitree has always adopted this approach: develop products first and let the market test them. Its previous G1 robot was developed in the same way.
Unitree has been in the spotlight nonstop over the past year!
During the Spring Festival, Unitree humanoid robots appeared on the Spring Festival Gala, performing boxing, drunken fist and backflips, which quickly became a hot search topic. Soon after, it gained wide attention again at the Beijing Humanoid Robot Half Marathon Qualifier. Its 1500-meter result, converted by proportion, has surpassed the human world record.
What many people see are exciting viral clips, yet these achievements never come out of nowhere. More intricate movements and faster speeds are built upon steady progress in core R&D capabilities.
According to public reports online, Unitree’s humanoid robot shipments exceeded 5,500 units in 2025, securing a 32.4% global market share and ranking first worldwide. In the quadruped robot segment, its global market share has long stayed at 60%–70%, leading the industry by a wide margin.
Founded not long ago, Unitree has achieved remarkable scale, standing out prominently in the robotics industry. Especially when large-scale commercialization of humanoid robots is yet to arrive, such impressive figures fully demonstrate its solid strength.
Conclusion: Science fiction has come true, waiting to embrace the future.
From quadruped robots to humanoid robots, and further to manned mechas, Unitree is constantly expanding its product boundaries.
The current GD01 is likely just a starting point for Unitree. It is still far from widespread popularization, and numerous technical hurdles remain to be solved.
Yet one thing is crystal clear:
Those giant mech warriors once only seen in sci-fi movies have now stepped into reality, no longer merely confined to the silver screen.
China has set clear strategic goals to build itself into a global powerhouse in robotics. A sound industrial ecosystem, rapid iteration cycles and large-scale deployment capabilities are strongly fueling this vision, bringing us ever closer to that bright future.
Post time: May-25-2026