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Former DJI Livox Head Hong Xiaoping’s Startup: I’m Not Building an Electric Wheelchair | Embodied Intelligence Talk #18

Honghao Wang

24 Nov 2025 — 4 min read

Strutt and the Launch of ev¹: Redefining Personal Mobility

> “Walk gracefully and proudly, like a peacock.”

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Company Overview

Founded by Hong Xiaoping — former leader of DJI’s Optoelectronics division and head of the Livox LiDAR line — Strutt is one of the DJI-affiliated startups attracting strong VC interest. Even before release, Strutt secured investments from Matter Venture Partners, Vertex Ventures, and other global institutions.

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The Product: ev¹

Planned Release: Early 2026
First Public Appearance: CES 2025
Awards:
Red Dot “Supreme Honor Award” (Luminar’s top recognition)
2026 CES Best Innovation Award (Vehicle Tech & Advanced Mobility category)

Although ev¹ looks like a smart wheelchair at first glance, Hong describes it as “a new form of mobility device” — designed for everyday use, not just medical needs.

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User Stories: Graceful and Proud Like a Peacock

Usman’s Experience:

Traveled 1,000km from Phoenix for the trial event.
Born with undeveloped arms and legs but actively explores tech solutions.
Tested Copilot+ mode blindfolded: joystick control + automatic obstacle avoidance.
Loved Autopilot mode: voice commands like “I’m thirsty” trigger automatic navigation to the kitchen.

Ali’s Ride:

Teenager with fragile spine due to illness.
Loved horseback riding but avoided it for years due to terrain risks.
ev¹’s four-wheel drive + suspension enabled safe riding over uneven ground.

Joe’s Challenge:

San Francisco local coping with steep slopes outside his home.
Powered uphill unaided in ev¹ — a moment of triumph.

Trial Feedback:

Scheduled for 1 hour, extended to 3 hours.
Included race events in drizzle near Golden Gate Bridge.

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Community Engagement

Strutt Drivers Club: Global Facebook group (US, UK, France, Netherlands, Spain, Portugal, Singapore, etc.).
Active Participation: 60%-70% post daily.

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Design Philosophy

Hong Xiaoping explains the name Strutt:

Combination of Strut + tt, where “tt” resembles π, symbolizing “tech transforming life.”
Strut: “Walk gracefully and proudly, like a peacock.”

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Hong Xiaoping’s Founder Journey

Background

Ph.D. in Physics from Berkeley — research in nanomaterials published in Science and Nature.
First undergraduate to receive HKUST’s “President’s Award”.
Joined DJI in 2016 to build photonics division and Livox LiDAR.

Why Not Humanoids?

Embodied intelligence has vision but no clear roadmap yet.
Huge multidimensional data requirements; humanoid robots lack large-scale real-world scenario data today.
ev¹ serves as an immediate, data-rich platform for future Robot Helper development.

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Core Systems in ev¹

evSense Intelligent Driving System
Copilot Mode: Slows down & avoids obstacles.
Copilot+ Mode: User controls direction; ev¹ automatically adjusts trajectory.
Autopilot Mode:
Waypoint: Drives to fixed targets.
Pathfinder: Drives to user-selected map points.
“Follow” feature: Moves alongside walking users.
Quad-Drive Intelligent Chassis & Drive
Handles grass, slopes, potholes.
Automotive-level terrain recognition + dynamic torque control + ABS.
Human-Machine Interaction Layer
Large Language Model voice control.
Companionship for emotionally isolated users.

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Memorable Feedback

Florida girl with fragile neck revisited a horse ranch after years — safe thanks to ev¹ suspension.
Mother moved to tears seeing her resume a beloved activity.

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Market Positioning

Target users: Elderly, disabled, and general customers seeking reliable convenient mobility.
Pricing: Mid-to-high-end segment (~$5,000–$10,000 typical expectation).
Classification: Mobility device (not medical), potential future medical SKU.

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Development Journey

Feature Cuts for Reliability

Removed adjustable height and tilt-forward seats to simplify mechanics.
Prioritized:
Ease of use
Multi-scenario adaptability
Comfort & safety

Copilot+ mode trigger changed from button toggle to press-and-hold — smoother, real-time user control.

Engineering Challenges

Reliability testing far beyond safety standards (2 million drum cycles vs required 200,000).
Complex coordination of sensors, actuators, high-power & high-bandwidth systems.

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Go-to-Market Indicators

Focus on steady growth:
Daily usage rate
Satisfaction
NPS (Net Promoter Score)

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Team Building

Co-founders:
Hong Xiaoping – sensors, algorithms
Xiao Wenlong (Nick) – mechanical structures, motor control
Shared DJI-style culture: “Outstanding people working together on the impossible”.
Values:
Innovation-driven growth
Organic teamwork
Pure dedication
Courage + decisiveness

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Competition Strategy

First-mover advantage: branding, patents, safety/reliability barriers.
Continuous iteration toward 'Robot Helper' goal.
Hiring high-standard, culturally aligned team to sustain competitiveness.

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Market Opportunity

Electric wheelchairs: 1.7M–2M units/year (~$4B revenue, 10% growth).
ev¹ represents new category bridging medical and lifestyle mobility.

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Design Trade-offs & Philosophy

Subtracting non-essential features for manufacturability & reliability.
EV = Everyday Vehicle: safe, intuitive, go-anywhere design.

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Vision for Future

ev¹ as data-rich platform for embodied intelligence.
Expansion interfaces for mechanical arms & sensors.
Long-term goal: General-purpose Robot Helper.

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Crossing the Chasm

Co-creation with users to identify scenarios & unexpected uses.
Smaller chasm preferred — easier mainstream adoption despite competition.

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Hong’s Reflections

Entrepreneurship satisfies his love for solving new problems.
Wants a life-long direction combining tech, humanity, and social responsibility.

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Final Takeaway

Strutt’s ev¹ demonstrates how a mobility device can evolve from meeting basic needs to delivering joy, emotional connection, and lifestyle enhancement — while serving as a stepping stone toward embodied AGI.

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These ecosystems can help accelerate the journey from niche adoption to mainstream recognition — bridging the chasm for breakthrough technologies like ev¹.