Hong Kong’s Direct Drive Technology has spent years perfecting motors that spin without gears and now those efforts have borne fruit as the D1, a machine that folds two walkers into a single four-legged hauler. Each half weighs 24.3kg, light enough to slip through tight spaces on its own, yet when they snap together via a magnetic latch in the middle, the pair weighs 48.6kg and is ready for heavier work. That combined form can haul 100kg over rough terrain, and 80kg when standing on end without straining. A 43.2v 9ah lithium battery powers each section for more than 5 hours after a 2 hour top up, and over 25km unloaded in wheel mode.
Those wheels aren’t just for show; they’re powered directly by the company’s gearless motors, allowing the D1 to travel at 11km/h on flat terrain while requiring significantly less power than legged strides. Each device contains an NVIDIA Jetson Orin NX chip with 8GB of memory that runs Ubuntu 22.04 and accepts remote orders or plots its own path. Cameras can be added separately, transforming the entire system into eyes for scouting or filming.
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Quadruped mode is familiar, as in four wheels locked for speed on tarmac or flexing for steps over roots and rocks, exactly like the big guys. Biped mode trades bulk for agility, with each half perching on two wheels to navigate smaller passageways or standing upright for a superior view. Linking more than two results in clusters for larger jobs, although the base two already perform the majority of duties. Direct Drive is pitching this for warehouse and yard patrols, deliveries that avoid crowds one minute and climb curbs the next, and rescue runs in which scouts are sent ahead of the load carrier.
Pricing is straightforward: one biped unit costs $7,499, which is sufficient for solo runs without commitment. A pair for the full quad system costs $13,999, not including peripherals. Early adopters can pair it with the Diablo, another wheel-legged singleton, but the D1’s docking is designed for teams that may reconfigure as needed.
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