WTF?! The dream of being able to buy your own gigantic mecha is becoming a reality with the first "production-ready" suit. Created by Unitree Robotics, you can purchase the almost 9-foot-tall, 1,100-pound (with pilot) GD01 for a mere $650,000.
Chinese firm Unitree Robotics – maker of several robot models, including "budget" models – revealed the GD01 in a video with a suitably pounding rock soundtrack.
The clip shows company founder and CEO Xingxing Wang holding hands with the mecha before making what appears to be an awkward climb into the cockpit.
We then see the robot stomping off with what now looks suspiciously like a dummy in the passenger seat. The robot proceeds to show potential buyers some of its use cases. GD01 certainly seems adept at knocking down walls – though the cinder blocks are just resting on each other, and there's not even a fake pilot under the roll cage at this point. That aggressive action does seem to go against the disclaimer that reads: "Please everyone be sure to use the robot in a Friendly and Safe manner."
Impressively, the robot is also able to bend backward and crawl on its arms and legs in a crab/spider-style fashion, like a metal version of the possessed Regan from The Exorcist. If there were a pilot in the mecha at this point, they would probably feel quite nauseous as they faced the sky and moved backward.
Unitree has put out several semi-jokey videos in the past, including the classic Robot Kicks Man in Balls. But the company assured Wired that this is no prank: the GD01 is a real, and very expensive, product it is selling.
– Wes (@wmorrill3) December 26, 2025
There's no doubt that 3.9 million yuan, or $650,000, is a lot of money. Huang Jiawei, a marketing staff member at Unitree Robotics, told the Global Times that the figure is only a preliminary reference price.
Huang added that Unitree's robots are mainly aimed at changing the way we work, citing their use in high-risk and harsh environments.
Chen Jing, vice president of the Technology and Strategy Research Institute, told GT that difficulties getting in and out of the machine, battery-life concerns, limited comfort, regulatory uncertainty, and maintenance complexity remain some of the GD01's weak points – as does the price, obviously.