At the 2026 World Robot Conference in Beijing, visitors lined up not to watch a robot, but to ride one. Chinese startup DaxAI Robotics unveiled the Qiji X1, a four-legged machine built with a saddle and handlebars so a person can sit on top while its onboard AI handles balance, footing and navigation across rough terrain. Video of attendees mounting the machine and riding it around the show floor quickly spread online, with outlets including Interesting Engineering and Futurism covering the reveal.
The Qiji X1 weighs around 300 kilograms, carries a maximum payload of about 660 pounds, and can travel roughly 25 miles on a single charge from its 165-volt battery pack, with a continuous run time of eight to ten hours, according to specifications reported by Gadget Review. Its top speed is modest, in the range of 6 to 7 miles per hour, closer to a brisk walk than a gallop. It went on sale following its Beijing debut at roughly 289,000 yuan, or about $43,000.
Part of a Bigger Push Into Legged Robots
The Qiji X1 is not DaxAI's first attempt at a rideable quadruped. Earlier in 2026, the company introduced a heavier-duty version of the same concept, a ton-class robotic horse capable of hauling loads up to 1,000 kilograms — a figure the company says set a global record for load capacity among legged robots. The lighter Qiji X1 trades some of that hauling power for a design meant more for personal transport than industrial work.
China's robotics sector has poured resources into legged machines over the past two years, from humanoid workers to load-bearing quadrupeds intended for construction sites, disaster response and rough-terrain delivery. A rideable version aimed at ordinary buyers marks an unusual pivot toward recreational and personal use rather than industrial applications.
DaxAI has not disclosed sales figures since the Qiji X1 went on the market, and it remains unclear how the robot performs outside a controlled expo floor, on genuinely uneven ground or in bad weather. For now, the machine's biggest achievement may simply be looking, and functioning, exactly like its name suggests: a horse that happens to be a robot.