Unitree has been at the forefront of China’s humanoid robot revolution, creating increasingly impressive models capable of engaging in combat sports or performing jaw-dropping acrobatic feats. But the tech company took everyone by surprise earlier this week when it unveiled the GD01, a real-life mecha that can be piloted by a human operator.
For decades, sci-fi fans have been dreaming of the day they would be able to pilot their very own Gundam mobile suits or Pacific Rim-inspired mechas, and their wait could finally be at an end. Although we’ve seen some attempts at creating real-life mechas before, none of them come close to Unitree’s recently unveiled GD01.
In a video that has since gone viral on Chinese social media, Unitree CEO Wang Xingxing can be seen climbing into the driver’s seat of the company’s very first manned mecha and using it to move around and smash through walls. Although the full capabilities of the GD01 have not yet been revealed, it’s definitely the most advanced and impressive mecha we’ve ever seen.
The roughly 2.7-meter-tall mecha weighs about 500 kilograms (including the human operator) and can fluidly shift from bipedal mode to quadrupedal mode, at the touch of a button.
The Unitree GD01 is being marketed as the world’s first manned mecha ready for mass production. The starting price for such a unit is 3.9 million yuan ($650,000), which has been criticized as prohibitive for the vast majority of mecha enthusiasts. However, Unitree representatives have come out to clarify that the Chinese company is still working on optimizing production and lowering costs to bring down the price as much as possible.
Although the official launch of the GD01 mecha has yet to be announced, Unitree’s latest creation has already attracted a lot of attention worldwide. Many declared themselves excited about the prospect of owning and operating their own Gundam-like mechanized suits, while others pointed out some real-world usability concerns, including difficulties getting in and out of the mecha, and battery life.
