Unitree, the Chinese robotics startup known for making affordable dancing humanoids, has unveiled its latest product: a $650,000 giant mecha called the GD01 that walks, crawls, transforms, and smashes walls. The company confirmed to WIRED that the GD01 is an actual product for sale, not an elaborate prank.
In its reveal video set to thundering rock guitar, founder and CEO Xingxing Wang climbs into the robot's open-air belly before it demolishes a wall of cinder blocks—operating either piloted or autonomously. The GD01 can also contort by bending backwards and perform a crabwalk position where the human operator would be lying on their back.
Unitree's rise in robotics hinges on cost efficiency. Its G1 humanoid robots start at around $15,000, roughly 10 times cheaper than US-made equivalents. Experts attribute this pricing advantage to the company's mastery of China's vast and complex hardware supply chain. Its robots are also easy for researchers to configure and deploy AI programs on.
The company has become a fast-rising star among Chinese tech companies. Last year, at a televised spring festival event, Unitree's robots performed parkour and synchronized martial arts—coordinating wirelessly to tighten their movements. It is expected to go public this year.
However, Unitree's current robots remain limited in capability. They are either remotely controlled or perform relatively simple autonomous actions. Its humanoids lack the dexterity and AI needed for complex tasks in messy real-world environments. The GD01 appears oriented toward spectacle and publicity rather than practical deployment. Its appeal, as one observer notes, is straightforward: a conspicuous display of AI-fueled wealth—less Ferrari, more giant wall-smashing robot.