China unveils first wheeled-legged guide robot, with 99% indoor obstacle avoidance rate, can even climb stairs
China Daily
7th September 2026
China unveils first wheeled-legged guide robot, with 99% indoor obstacle avoidance rate, can even climb stairs
By Shen Sheng and Zhang Yiyi
China’s Yuanshan Zhixing Technology has unveiled Xiaoyuan, the country’s first wheeled-legged guide robot, which can glide on flat ground and climb stairs, offering a new mobility solution for people with visual impairments, GT learned from the company.
The robot features a hybrid wheeled-legged design. It can move on wheels across flat surfaces and switch to legged mode to climb stairs, allowing it to navigate both up and down steps. It also operates with low noise to avoid interfering with users’ ability to identify their surroundings through sound, the company told the Global Times on Saturday.
Xiaoyuan can detect overhead obstacles such as low-hanging branches and scaffolding, which can be difficult for conventional white canes to detect. It can identify such hazards in advance and automatically slow down or detour around them, the company said.
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