China's Unitree Robotics said it had received orders immediately upon the release of the world's first production-ready manned mecha, whose debut went viral on the internet earlier this week.
In science fiction, mecha is depicted as a giant robot or machine, either piloted or sentient, and is typically a humanoid walking vehicle, often much larger than human beings.
Unitree's GD01 robot, which can switch between bipedal and quadrupedal modes, made its debut on Tuesday. The company said the model is designed as a civilian transport device. It weighs approximately 500 kilograms with a person inside and can maintain stability even when toppling a brick wall.
The mecha is still being refined, and its rollout is aimed at accelerating the application of robotics across industries to enhance human productivity, said Wang Xingxing, Unitree's founder and chief executive, in a written reply to Xinhua.
"Humanoid robot technology and products are still at the dawn of their development. There are many challenges ahead, requiring industry-wide cooperation and continuous investments," Wang said, noting that Unitree is committed to a long-term approach in the area.
The unveiling has sparked discussions regarding its market positioning, technological maturity and future prospects.
Industry experts have credited the mecha with expanding public imagination about robotics, while calling for more details on its continuous operation time, joint cooling systems, energy efficiency and other performance indicators.
The development path for the manned vehicle may follow a similar pattern to that of Unitree's quadruped robots, achieving a technological breakthrough, launching a product and then exploring its applications through market feedback, said Song Wei, secretary general of the Zhejiang Robot Industry Association.
"The ultimate goal for humanoid robots is to become human-like and fully autonomous. Intermediate products that attract market attention and generate revenue can help the industry accumulate technology, cultivate markets and nurture talent," Song added.
The futuristic mecha has added to a list of technological feats rolled out by the Hangzhou-based robotic star company this year.
In February, Unitree's humanoid robots attracted global spotlight by executing complex martial arts and stunt maneuvers like drunken boxing and backflips during the most-watched Spring Festival Gala.
In April, the company saw its humanoid robot, based on a proportional calculation, break the human world record for the 1,500-meter run in the Beijing humanoid robot half-marathon qualifying round.
It is reported that in 2025, the company's humanoid robot shipments exceeded 5,500 units, while its global market share for quadruped robots remained stable at between 60 and 70 percent.
The year 2026 has been eyed as a critical turning point for the robotics industry, with it moving from simply "handling many tasks with limited proficiency" to truly "accomplishing tasks with high performance and achieving practical application," said Luo Jianlan, chief scientist at AgiBot, an intelligent robot manufacturer in Shanghai.
A recent industry report revealed that Chinese robotics firms emerged as the largest producers of humanoid robots worldwide in 2025, highlighting the country's rapid rise in this emerging manufacturing sector.
China has a clear national strategy in its quest to become a global robotics powerhouse, with this endeavor boosted by its sophisticated industrial ecosystem, fast iteration cycles and large-scale deployment capacity.