UNITREE Robotics has unveiled the GD01, a manned transformable robotic vehicle that the company describes as a “production-ready manned mecha.” The system will be priced from US$650,000 and can operate as a civilian vehicle.

The GD01 marks a new category for Unitree, which is best known for its quadruped robots and humanoids such as the G1, H1, and R1. Unlike those platforms, the GD01 is designed to carry a person. According to Unitree, the machine weighs approximately 500 kilograms with the pilot inside.

The announcement follows a period of rapid expansion for Unitree, which has moved from robot dogs into humanoid systems. The company’s current commercial range includes quadrupeds, humanoid robots, robot arms, and perception systems. Its webshop lists the R1 humanoid from US$4,900, the G1 from US$4,900,the G1 from US$16,000, and the H1 below US$90,000.

With the GD01, Unitree appears to be moving beyond mobile robots and humanoids into rideable robotic platforms. The company’s announcement positions the machine as a transformable mecha rather than a conventional industrial robot. The term “mecha” is often associated with large piloted robots in science fiction, but Unitree presents the GD01 as an actual manned robotic vehicle.

Video footage released around the launch shows the GD01 moving in different configurations. Japanese robotics outlet RobotStart reported that the video demonstrates the machine being operated both remotely and with a person on board. The footage reportedly includes bipedal walking, a punching demonstration, and movement in a transformed mode with its arms lowered toward the ground.(SD-Agencies)