China’s robotics giant Unitree has unveiled the GD01, a mecha-style machine that can switch between two-legged and four-legged configurations.

It resembles a real-life Autobot from the Transformers franchise and is built from high-strength alloy for civilian transport applications.

According to the Hangzhou-based firm, it weighs 1102 pounds (500 kilograms) with a pilot on board and has a starting price of 3.9 million yuan (US$573,674).

Recently, Unitree launched a low-cost upper-body humanoid robot starting at 26,900 yuan ($ 4290), featuring modular bases and up to 31 degrees of freedom.

Transforming civilian mech

Unitree’s GD01 demonstration video shows the mecha carrying a pilot in a torso-mounted cockpit as it walks in a humanoid stance, strikes a stack of bricks, and then reconfigures its chassis into a four-legged configuration. The system is presented as a transformable civilian vehicle.

The company states the vehicle weighs about 1102 pounds (500 kilograms) with a passenger on board. Founder Wang Xingxing is shown seated inside the cockpit during the demonstration, highlighting a sharp size contrast between operator and machine. In upright mode, the robot reaches roughly 1.6 times the height of an average adult, reports 36Kr.

It demonstrates stable bipedal walking, high force output capable of toppling a brick wall, and a rigid structure that remains steady under impact. The system can fold its legs, adjust its center of gravity, and transition into a quadruped form within seconds, continuing movement without external assistance across uneven terrain.

The one-minute video was shared on social media platforms, with the company releasing limited technical specifications. Unitree also issued a safety notice urging users not to attempt hazardous modifications or extreme tests, noting that humanoid robotics remains in an early experimental stage with functional limitations for personal users. The company shared no additional specifications publicly yet.

China’s robotics surge

The GD01 adds to the Unitree portfolio amid rapid growth in China’s humanoid robotics industry. In April, the company released an upper-body bipedal humanoid robot starting at 26,900 yuan, designed with modular deployment options including a fixed base and mobile chassis for use in research, light industry, and service applications.

According to research firm Omdia, Chinese companies accounted for nearly 90 percent of global humanoid robot sales in 2025. Unitree reportedly shipped more than 5,500 humanoid robots in the previous year, while US companies such as Tesla, Figure AI, and Agility Robotics each shipped around 150 units during the same period, reports the South China Morning Post (SCMP).

Chinese humanoid robots are also priced lower than many Western alternatives. Unitree’s entry-level humanoid R1 costs about US$6,000, while rival AgiBot offers a model priced around US$14,000. Tesla CEO Elon Musk has estimated that the future cost of the Optimus humanoid robot could fall between US$20,000 and US$30,000.

Unitree sells its R1, G1 humanoids, and Go2 robot dog internationally via Alibaba’s AliExpress platform, targeting markets in North America, Europe, and Japan. Chinese humanoid robots have also begun appearing in airports and logistics operations, including trials by Japan Airlines using systems from Unitree and UBTech Robotics at Tokyo’s Haneda Airport, reports SCMP.

In March, Unitree filed for an IPO on Shanghai’s STAR Market, planning to allocate about 85 percent of its 4.2 billion yuan ($61 million) fundraising target to research and development, including over 2 billion yuan ($29 million) for robotics model development.