China Unveils First Wheeled-Legged Guide Robot Capable of Climbing Stairs with 99% Obstacle Avoidance

China’s Yuanshan Zhixing Technology has unveiled Xiaoyuan, the nation’s premier wheeled-legged guide robot. Engineered to glide across flat ground and navigate stairs, the device offers an innovative mobility solution for individuals with visual impairments, GT learned from the company.

Featuring a hybrid wheeled-legged design, the robot rolls across flat surfaces on wheels and transitions to legged mode when ascending or descending stairs. Additionally, it operates with minimal acoustic output to preserve the user's ability to rely on ambient sound for spatial awareness, the company informed the Global Times on Saturday.

Xiaoyuan actively detects overhead hazards that typically evade conventional white canes, such as low-hanging branches and scaffolding. Upon detecting these obstacles in advance, the system automatically decelerates or reroutes around them, according to the company.

The robot demonstrates an obstacle-avoidance success rate of at least 99 percent indoors and 96 percent outdoors, with its outdoor positioning precision maintained within a 30-centimeter margin of error, the report indicates.

Key capabilities comprise route navigation, voice interaction, companionship, and customized alerts. During emergencies, users can trigger an SOS alert to request real-time assistance from remote volunteers.

Styled to mimic the appearance of a guide dog, Xiaoyuan is calibrated to align with standard human walking rhythms and utilizes a familiar leash-based control interface.

With China home to over 17 million visually impaired individuals and only roughly 400 active guide dogs, according to the report, conventional guide dog training remains a lengthy, constrained process. Robotic alternatives like Xiaoyuan are poised to bridge this crucial service gap, the company noted.

Commercial rollout and field testing are underway in collaboration with regional disabled persons’ federations. In Hangzhou’s Xihu district, Zhejiang Province, a pilot initiative has opened municipal roads, commercial complexes, and public parks for real-world trial runs, with testing extending into subway stations and shopping malls, the company stated.

The underlying platform directly integrates with disabled persons’ federation service networks, accessible mapping systems, and a dedicated remote volunteer assistance portal.