For a generation raised on Pacific Rim, Gundam, Alien and Transformers, the fantasy has never really left the imagination: being able to climb into a giant mechanical robot suit and walk away in it.
This week, that fantasy stopped being fiction.
Unitree Robotics - the Chinese company that has quickly become one of the world's most prolific robot manufacturers - unveiled the GD01, which is being billed as the world's first production-ready manned transformable mecha.
It's roughly 2.8 metres tall and lets a human pilot climb up and operate it from an open cockpit in its torso. It can walk upright on two legs in humanoid stance or reconfigure its build to move on four legs for rougher terrain.
Promotional footage even shows it smashing through a wall of cinder blocks.
But it's unlikely most of us will be using these to get from A to B anytime soon. The starting price is 3.9 million yuan, nearly €500,000. And Unitree has not yet publicly disclosed key technical details such as battery life, maximum speed, payload capacity or operating duration.
From robot dogs to giant mechas
Founded in 2016 in Hangzhou by engineer Wang Xingxing, the company began with quadruped “robot dogs” inspired by research platforms like Boston Dynamics’ Spot robot.
Wang reportedly built his first quadruped robot as part of a university thesis before leaving drone giant DJI to start his own company.
A decade on, Unitree controls roughly 70 percent of the global quadruped robot market and in 2025 it shipped more than 5,500 humanoid robots - which is more than any other manufacturer on earth, including Tesla. Its robots even appeared during China's hugely watched Spring Festival Gala television show.
What would a giant robot like this actually be useful for?
This remains the big unanswered question.
Unitree says the GD01 is aimed at "high-value markets" including industrial operations, emergency rescue and for cultural tourism.
In theory, systems like this could eventually be used in disaster zones, collapsed buildings, hazardous industrial sites or environments where wheeled vehicles struggle.
There are also obvious military implications - although Unitree explicitly describes the GD01 as a civilian platform and warned users to operate it in a "friendly and safe manner."
The broader robotics industry has long explored similar ideas. Powered exoskeletons already exist in medicine, logistics and defence.
Companies including Sarcos Technology and Robotics Corporation, Hyundai Motor Company and Lockheed Martin have spent years developing wearable robotic systems that enhance lifting strength or reduce worker fatigue.
Humanoid robotics boom
Humanoid robotics is currently going through one of its biggest investment booms in decades. Companies across the US, China and Europe are racing to build general-purpose robots capable of working in warehouses, factories and eventually homes.
Tesla is developing its Optimus humanoid robot. Figure AI has partnered with BMW. Agility Robotics already has warehouse robots operating commercially.
China, meanwhile, is scaling up extremely quickly.
In April, Chinese smartphone company Honor made global headlines when its humanoid robot completed a half marathon in Beijing in 50 minutes and 26 seconds - beating the human world record by nearly seven minutes.
According to research cited by the South China Morning Post, Chinese companies accounted for nearly 90 percent of global humanoid robot sales in 2025.
Official data also show that China had more than 140 humanoid robot manufacturers and over 330 models in 2025.
Accelerating the development of technologies such as humanoid robots was listed a priority in Beijing’s latest five-year plan, which has pledged to “target the frontiers of science and technology”.
The GD01 is undeniably one of the most eye-catching product to emerge from this race so far. But whether it's a glimpse of a genuinely useful future technology, or an elaborate, marketing proof of concept, is a question the industry is still working out how to answer.
