DaxAI Robotics has taken the wraps off the Qiji X1, a four-legged robot with a saddle and handlebars that lets a human sit on top and ride. The Beijing startup showed the machine at the 2026 World Robot Conference and says it can carry a rider weighing up to 660 pounds (roughly 300 kilograms).
Not A Robot Dog. A Robot Horse.
The Qiji X1 walks on four articulated mechanical legs and is steered from a front-mounted handlebar. Onlookers watched it plod deliberately across the exhibition floor at a decidedly unsteady pace, a reminder that legged rideable mobility remains a proof of concept rather than a mature transport product. Even so, the sheer form factor - a legged machine sized to carry an adult - marks a departure from the dog-scale quadrupeds that have dominated the market since Boston Dynamics' Spot went commercial.
Founded By An Autonomous-Driving Alumnus
DaxAI Robotics emerged around 2025. It was founded by Wang Kun, who previously worked in autonomous driving and robotics; co-founder and chief technology officer Xu Wenqiang leads the artificial intelligence side of the company. The company positions the Qiji X1 as an experiment in extending robotics beyond fixed industrial cells and small quadruped inspection dogs into personal mobility applications - terrain where wheeled or tracked vehicles struggle.
Part Of A Wider Chinese Rideable-Robot Push
The Qiji X1 is one of several Chinese rideable quadruped projects to surface in 2026, joining the AgiBot-supported AGIQUAD riding robot developed with Chongqing Haochen Embodied Intelligence Technology, which is targeting small-batch delivery this September at a stated 15 km/h top speed and 20 km range. The 2026 World Robot Conference also hosted the World Humanoid Robot Games with entries from 16 countries.
Related coverage: China's humanoid factory-order pipeline, CJ Logistics deploys humanoid robots, and Zeals D1 wheeled humanoid.
Reporting based on coverage from Electronics For You and the 2026 World Robot Conference.