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As the drumbeats of the Lunar Year of the Horse meet cutting‑edge technology, and intangible‑heritage acrobatics intersect with robots, a spectacular cross‑cultural gala blending traditional festive vibes and futuristic innovation has concluded successfully.

On February 14, the 2026 Shandong Robot Spring Gala staged a breathtaking show at Jining Grand Theatre. Centered on “Human‑Robot Co‑Performance”, the event gathered China’s top robotics enterprises. A lineup of highly‑capable robots took charge of performances and interactive sessions, delivering a brand‑new multi‑dimensional festive experience.

In the eighth program Tri‑Colored Pottery, Direct Drive Tech made a stunning appearance with D1, the world’s first fully‑modular embodied‑intelligence robot, performing alongside the acclaimed Jining Acrobatic Troupe. Leveraging its proprietary modular spliceable design and leading integrated joint‑module technology, D1 stood out as the highlight for its ground‑breaking agility on stage. It demonstrated the solid core‑technology strength of Chinese robotics to audiences worldwide.

ri‑Colored Pottery is a landmark production by Jining Acrobatic Troupe, which innovatively integrates the traditional folk jar‑juggling art of the Yellow‑River basin with modern acrobatics. Featuring original high‑difficulty stunts such as “Three‑section Jar‑Shaking with Jar Stacking” and “Two‑pole Three‑jar Basket‑and‑Foot Looping”, the show has earned global acclaim. It took home the Gold Prize at the 2024 Russia Nikulin “Artist” International Circus Festival and the Special Honor Award at the 22nd Festival Mondial du Cirque de Demain in France. Its appearance at the Shandong Robot Spring Gala marks a groundbreaking breakthrough. Blending top‑tier acrobatic art with cutting‑edge robotic technology, the performance preserves the essence of folk craftsmanship while infusing innovative tech‑driven expression.

On the stage of Tri‑Colored Pottery, Direct Drive Tech’s D1 robot seems imbued with “ceramic‑inspired spirit”, acting as the most seamless stage partner for human performers. Carrying three jar props, D1 switches fluidly between four‑wheel and dual‑wheel configurations, autonomously completing disassembly and reassembly. It precisely fulfils collaborative requirements for acrobatic acts without interfering with performers’ movements. When performers lean forward and raise their hands to give gestural cues, D1 responds instantly, nimbly weaving among artists with well‑measured movements and perfectly matching the performers’ rhythm.

D1’s on‑stage “shape‑shifting” performance vividly demonstrates the strengths of its modular spliceable architecture and embodies Direct Drive Tech’s profound understanding of “robotic morphological freedom”. As the world’s first fully‑modular embodied‑intelligence robot, D1 breaks the constraints of fixed‑form conventional robots. It builds core product competitiveness centred on on‑demand reconfiguration and flexible adaptation.

• Full‑form splicing capability: Supports combined assembly of wheel‑to‑wheel‑leg, leg‑to‑leg, wheel‑leg‑to‑leg and other multi‑mode configurations, enabling rapid reconfiguration according to scenario requirements. As seen in Tri‑Colored Pottery, D1 dynamically adjusts its form for different performance segments.
• High‑compatibility expansion: Built with open‑interface design to flexibly integrate vision modules, communication modules and diverse sensors. It delivers precise interactive performance for stage shows while supporting customised missions in industrial inspection, emergency rescue and other sectors.
• High‑efficiency collaborative operation: Powered by Direct Drive Tech’s self‑developed “Universal Mini‑Brain” technology, spliced modules achieve millisecond‑level coordinated output. Even separated dual‑robot units maintain precise coordination to deliver 1+1>2 operational efficiency.

This modular‑design philosophy represents Direct Drive Tech’s in‑depth pursuit of a universal robotic chassis. Traditional robots are typically engineered for single‑use cases, resulting in high R&D costs and poor versatility. D1’s modular architecture enables core‑module reuse and flexible scenario extension, substantially cutting robot R&D and deployment costs and laying a solid foundation for large‑volume mass production.

D1 robot’s modular spliceable design works in synergy with Direct Drive Tech’s self‑developed, in‑house manufactured integrated robotic power modules. This dual‑layer empowerment delivers a leap‑forward breakthrough in D1’s agility.

The seamless collaboration between Direct Drive Tech’s D1 and Jining Acrobatic Troupe in Tri‑Colored Pottery validates the technical integration of “modular design + integrated joint modules”. The robot can perform standardized tasks and adapt to custom human‑robot collaboration scenarios. In its four‑leg configuration, D1 delivers enhanced stability and load‑bearing capacity to support large‑range movements by acrobatic performers. In its compact dual‑leg mode, it nimbly navigates across stage spaces for precise interactive performance.

Such agility breakthrough fundamentally embodies Direct Drive Tech’s faithful implementation of the embodied‑intelligence philosophy. The modular framework builds a flexible “physical body”, while integrated joint modules serve as high‑precision “motor nerves”. Each module supports independent decision‑making as well as group‑level collaborative operation.

Compared with conventional robots, D1 achieves agility advancement on two core dimensions. First, improved degrees‑of‑freedom of motion. Modular splicing diversifies robotic motion forms. High‑precision control of joint modules enables accurate, fluid execution of complex manoeuvres including turning, obstacle avoidance and jumping. Second, enhanced environmental adaptability. Whether on flat stage floors for the Spring Gala or complex outdoor terrains, D1 adapts to diverse operating conditions via morphological switching and joint adjustment.

The 2026 Shandong Robot Spring Gala delivered not only a cross‑border feast of technology and art for audiences, but also showcased cutting‑edge breakthroughs in Chinese robotics. From D1 robot’s innovative modular‑spliceable design and robust integrated joint‑module technology to its leap‑forward improvement in agility, Direct Drive Tech has reshaped public preconceptions about robots through technological innovation.

Today, embodied intelligence stands as a core driving force behind the new wave of technological revolution and industrial transformation. Modular design, integration and group‑control technology represent key breakthrough points for the advancement of embodied‑intelligence robots. Through continuous technical innovation, Direct Drive Tech incorporates these three core technologies into product R&D, enabling robots to extend beyond the Spring‑Gala stage into diverse application scenarios including households, industry, logistics and healthcare. Moving forward, Direct Drive Tech will keep advancing core robotic technologies. Partnering with upstream and downstream industry‑chain players, the company will jointly advance mass production of embodied‑intelligence robots and foster sound development across the whole robotics sector.