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Jimmy Chow

A Hong Kong-based tech start-up has developed a wheelchair powered by artificial intelligence (AI) with the ability to climb stairs after designers gained inspiration from one of their team’s home lives.
“It all started with a close friend whose father had an accident and was left relying on a wheelchair. Their home had three steps, and every time they needed to go out, they had to physically carry him down,” Libpet Tech CEO and founder Jojo Xu Huafeng said.
“That got me thinking: why isn’t there a solution for this?”
Xu’s team was able to create a product that can seamlessly shift from acting as a regular wheelchair to one that can climb stairs thanks to its advanced radar systems and sensors that can detect varying stair heights, angles and surfaces.
He added that Libpet Tech’s innovation aimed to empower users to be independent, contrasting with many other stair-climbing wheelchairs that require additional help.
“Most stair-climbing wheelchairs need someone to push them. Ours doesn’t. It allows users to be independent, which is the entire point of accessibility,” he said.
Xu said the challenge had not just involved building a wheelchair that could climb stairs.
“It was about safety and adaptability. Different users have different needs, from body types to stair designs,” he explained.
“Each stair is a variable – its height, its surface – and we needed to account for all of these. That’s where our adaptive technology comes in. The wheelchair uses a radar and sensors to actively adjust and ensure stability and safety.”
The company’s product has seen Xu listed as a finalist in the innovation category for this year’s Spirit of Hong Kong Awards.

The annual event, jointly organised by the South China Morning Post and property developer Sino Group, honours the achievements of remarkable people or groups whose endeavours might otherwise go unnoticed.
The wheelchair, which is called Libpet Power, leverages Light Detection and Ranging, or Lidar, technology to effectively navigate staircases.
Its navigation system also ensures the wheelchair can assess the environment in real-time, determining whether a particular set of stairs is suitable for climbing.
But the wheelchair also has other innovative features that make it stand out in the market.
“We designed it so that even if a user makes a mistake while operating the wheelchair, our sensors will adjust and correct the movement. It’s a kind of assisted-driving technology,” Xu explained.
The wheelchair has been well-received by places such as hospitals and care centres for the elderly.
“We’ve seen tremendous interest from hospitals, particularly those in older buildings without lifts or elevators. Our wheelchair provides them with a practical solution,” he said.

Since Xu founded the company in June 2022, he and his team have worked to create not only functional but affordable products.
“Traditional stair-climbing wheelchairs can cost anywhere from hundreds of thousands to more than a million Hong Kong dollars, depending on the features,” he said.
“We’ve brought that cost down a lot by streamlining the production process and eliminating unnecessary components.”
He said that some of the company’s wheelchair lines went for about HK$100,000 (US$12,900) or less.
The development has also enjoyed the support of the city’s academic and research communities, and Xu said his team had worked closely with universities in Hong Kong, especially Polytechnic University and the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology.
“Their expertise in robotics and AI has played a big role in helping us fine-tune our designs and stay ahead in innovation,” he said.
The company CEO also said that with plans to expand beyond Hong Kong, he saw a bright future ahead.
“We’re already in talks with partners in Japan and other regions with ageing populations, where mobility solutions are in high demand,” he said. “Our aim is to make this technology available to as many people as possible.”


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Libpet Tech CEO and founder Jojo Xu named a finalist in innovation category for this year’s Spirit of Hong Kong Awards


Libpet Tech CEO and founder Jojo Xu named a finalist in innovation category for this year’s Spirit of Hong Kong Awards.


Spirit of Hong Kong