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Share this article 0Join the conversationFollow usAdd us as a preferred source on GoogleSubscribe to our newsletterUnitree Unveils: GD01, A Manned Transformable Mecha, from $650,000 – YouTube
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Chinese engineers have constructed a robot in a mecha style, capable of swiftly switching from a bipedal to a quadrupedal stance while carrying individuals, evoking the powered exoskeletons from the film Aliens or the utilitarian mobile suits seen in Japanese anime like Gundam SEED.
The manufacturer of the robot, Unitree, states that this large, humanoid robot is designed for civilian transportation. In a promotional video, the robot, identified as GD01, walks upright, demolishes a high wall constructed of cinder blocks, and then reconfigures itself onto four limbs to navigate more challenging terrain.
Unitree representatives indicate the machine weighs approximately 1,100 pounds (500 kilograms) with an operator aboard and stands nearly 10 feet (3 meters) in height. Individuals can purchase the robot, with prices commencing at 3.9 million yuan ($572,000).
The central framework of the machine consists of a skeleton made from titanium alloy and aerospace-grade aluminum, encased in a carbon-fiber shell.
Unitree asserts that the GD01 is the world’s inaugural mass-produced “transformable mecha,” and has encouraged potential buyers to “ensure the robot is used in a friendly and safe manner,” according to the descriptive text accompanying the promotional video.
Boarding the GD01 in its present form is not the most straightforward procedure. The video demonstrates an operator climbing awkwardly up the machine’s leg to reach the cockpit. Notably, while the GD01 is being marketed as a manned machine, the initial footage shows it being operated remotely, without anyone inside the cockpit.
Unitree is a nascent robotics firm with its headquarters in Hangzhou, China, and is widely recognized for its considerably smaller humanoid and quadruped robots.
Unitree’s collection of humanoid robots.
(Image credit: Unitree)
The company produces and offers for sale several models, with prices ranging from $4,290 for the R1-D, which is only the torso, to $90,000 for the H1. The H1 is a general-purpose robot equipped with lidar and depth cameras, powered by Unitree’s M107 joint motor, a high-torque, long-endurance motor designed for agility, speed, and load-bearing capabilities.
During a spring gala hosted by Unitree in February, the company’s humanoid robots were captured on video performing impressive acrobatic maneuvers, synchronized and break dancing, and executing complex martial arts routines.
Unitree has not yet published a comprehensive technical document for the GD01, but it is evident that the mecha benefits from the company’s extensive experience in developing quadrupedal robots adept at navigating difficult terrain.
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Four-legged models, such as the B2, possess the ability to ascend stairs, maintain stability when subjected to significant impacts, and even bridge gaps with leaps. They can also be reconfigured from straight-legged designs to models with wheels.
Unitree’s quadrupeds utilize multiple arrays of fish-eye binocular depth-sensing cameras, enabling the robots to simultaneously perceive their surroundings from the front, bottom, and sides.
According to Unitree’s official website, the company concentrates on “self-researching key core robot components like motors, reducers, controllers, Lidar, and high-performance perception and motion control algorithms.”
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