Despite it being the Japanese that has dominated pop media with the mecha science fiction genre, it looks like it’s the Chinese that is now closer to making it a reality. Chinese robotics firm Unitree has unveiled the GD01, which is described as a manned, transformable “mecha”. To say that it elicits mixed feelings is perhaps an understatement, as you’ll see from its demo video on X.
Posted by the company’s official account, the post says that the Unitree GD01 is “a manned transformable mecha” that “can transform”. On the surface, it looks like a roll cage-shapped cockpit with arms and legs. Inside the cage cockpit is what looks like a bucket seat, the kind that you see in race cars (or gaming chairs).
The post also comes with a video showing the Unitree GD01 in action. And it starts with it walking out of a warehouse, with each footstep sounding like an empty ice cream tub being slammed onto the floor. There’s a size comparison between it and a human, represented by company CEO Wang Xingxing, and two other robots by the company. Then the video shows Wang climbing in, using the right leg as steps up into the cockpit.
Looks Stable At Least
Unitree says that the GD01 weighs about 500kg with the operator in the seat. With that in mind, it looks to be able to stand pretty steadily as a person climbs on, despite the legs not looking particularly beefy. It somewhat implies that the materials are pretty tough and dense, as it is also shown knocking over a brick wall which, to be fair, looks uncemented.
All that being said though, looking at it in motion brings up a lot of questions. To start, while it is walking, the person in the cockpit of the Unitree GD01 doesn’t look like they’re piloting the mech. It’s a similar situation to when it gave the brick wall the thwack, as it wasn’t even manned during this sequence. So the first of many questions is if the mech is controlled remotely instead of being piloted directly.
Then there’s the sequence which shows its transitioning into its quadrupedal stance. This looks like the Unitree GD01 simply bending backwards, with its arms now serving as the forelegs. The orientation of the seat doesn’t change, which leaves the occupant in a pretty awkward and uncomfortable position. It’s probably also worth noting at this point that the bot has hands that are locked into a loose fist, though it’s unclear if these were meant to be holding anything.
Lots Of Questions To Be Answered
Topping it all off is the fact that Unitree has attached a price tag to the GD01. From the post on X, it’s priced at US$650,000 (~RM2.56 million) Domestically, the company is charging CNY 3.9 million (~RM2.26 million), according to CnEVPost. The report also mentions that it is “explicitly defined as a transformable civilian vehicle”.
Though with the way it currently is, it’s far from clear to what capacity it’s supposed to serve as such. Never mind that it has no locking mechanism, it’s unclear what its control mechanisms even are. Then there’s the question of its battery, and by extension, the range in which it can carry its passenger. There’s perhaps the questionable utility of serving as a last-mile solution, but it would be a bit of a spectacle. Either way, it’s not an alternative to the car, that’s for sure.
While its commercial viability remains in question, one can imagine that moviemakers can get good use out of the Unitree GD01. If nothing else, it can be used as the base rig for mechs that feature in films.
(Source: Unitree / X, CnEVPost)
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