Upgrade Guide

The robot dog's software has two parts:

This guide covers three upgrade methods: system image flashing (reinstall / recovery), online system upgrade, and MCU firmware flashing.

1. System Image Flashing (Host System)

When the system cannot boot, needs to be restored to factory state, or you replace the microSD card, you need to flash the Luwu-OS system image back onto the microSD card. The official flashing tool Luwu Imager does everything graphically — no need to download the image file manually.

1.1 Prepare the tools and software

1.2 Remove the microSD card

1. Power off the robot

2. The microSD card slot is on the right side of the robot's screen

3. Gently press the microSD card and it will pop out

4. Insert the microSD card into the USB card reader and connect it to the computer

1.3 Select the device

1. Open Luwu Imager; the "Select Device" screen appears

2. Pick your robot model from the list on the left: XGO-lite3 / XGO-mini2S / XGO-mini2SW / XGO-Rider2

3. Once selected, the details of that model are shown on the right; the "Next" button stays greyed out until a model is selected

1.4 Select the image

1. Click "Next" to reach the "Select Image" screen

2. The latest version is selected by default (marked with a green "Latest" badge), e.g. LuwuOS-beta-v2.1.2: - Download size about 1.9 GB, expands to about 7.5 GB - It is downloaded and unpacked automatically during flashing — no manual work needed

3. Older versions (v2.1.1 / v2.1.0 / v2.0.1, etc.) are also available

4. Confirm the image and click "Next"

1.5 Select the storage device

1. On the "Select Storage" screen, a warning at the top says "All data on the target device will be erased!"

2. Keep "Hide system drives" checked so you don't pick a computer drive by mistake

3. Select your card reader (usually shown as Generic- Multi-Card USB Device); double-check the drive letter and capacity

4. The bar at the bottom shows "Will write: LuwuOS-beta-v2.1.2" and the image size (7.5 GB); click "Next" once confirmed

⚠️ Make sure the selected target is the drive for your microSD card, not a computer hard drive! Flashing erases all data on the selected device.

1.6 System configuration (optional)

On the "System Configuration" screen you can pre-set the following options; they are applied automatically on first boot:

If you don't need any pre-set, click "Skip" — you can always set these in the system later.

1.7 Confirm the write

After clicking "Save & Continue" (or "Skip"), a "Confirm Write" dialog appears:

• Double-check the target device named in the dialog (e.g. Generic- Multi-Card USB Device)

• Click "OK" to start flashing

• Do not remove the SD card or unplug the card reader while flashing

1.8 After flashing

1. Wait for the progress to finish (the image is large, so this takes a while — be patient)

2. Insert the flashed microSD card back into the robot (mind the orientation; push it all the way in)

3. Power on and wait for initialization to complete

4. The default login username and password are both luwu (if you set a custom password in step 1.6, use that instead)

2. Online System Upgrade (Daily Upgrade)

For routine upgrades while the system is running normally — no need to open the robot or remove the card:

1. Go to "Settings" → "Check for Updates"

2. The system automatically checks for the latest version

3. Click to download the update package

4. It installs automatically and restarts

💡 This method only upgrades the Luwu-OS system itself; it does not touch the MCU firmware.

3. MCU Firmware Flashing (Lower Computer)

Motor control firmware is upgraded and repaired with a web-based flashing tool — nothing to install.

3.1 Open the flashing tool

Open this address in a browser: https://tools.luwudynamics.ai/

⚠️ Use Chrome, Edge or Opera only — web flashing relies on the Web Serial API, which Firefox and Safari do not support.

💡 You can switch the interface language (中文 / EN) in the top-right corner. The language determines the firmware: the English interface flashes the international firmware; switch to the Chinese interface for the domestic (CN) firmware.

You will land on the Unified Firmware Flash Center home page, split into XGO Series and RIG Series sections, with a "Flash Steps" and "Notes" summary below. This section uses the XGO Series as an example.

3.2 Select the model

1. In the XGO Series section on the home page, find the card of your model: XGO-mini2S / XGO-lite3 / XGO-mini2SW / XGO-Rider2 / XGO-Ranger

2. Click the model card to select it — the selected card gets a cyan highlight border and the series "MISSION SELECT" page opens

3. The page lists all XGO models at the top, each card labelled with its chip (CHIP: ESP32) and firmware version (FW); if no model is selected the flashing detail panel is not shown

4. Below the model list, the currently selected model is shown in a detail panel: - Model thumbnail and name (e.g. XGO-lite3) with a "WEB FLASH" badge - Chip, firmware version and release date (e.g. CHIP: ESP32 // FW 4.3.7 // 2025-06-01) - A short model description (e.g. "Lightweight 12-DOF desktop quadruped robot, ideal for education") - VERSION, REGION and BETA 7.1.3 badges - CHANGELOG, e.g. "Added microBlocks extension support, optimized serial protocol"

5. To switch to another model, click the "BACK" button at the top to return to the home page and pick again

3.3 Configure the flashing options

You don't need to configure this every time — the platform pre-sets sensible defaults. If you do want to adjust them, click the settings (⚙) icon next to the flash button to open the "FLASH CONFIG" dialog:

Click "DONE" to save, or × in the top-right to cancel.

💡 The XGO Series flashes the system firmware and does not include asset files (Assets); Assets are only needed for the RIG Series.

3.4 Connect the robot and start flashing

1. Connect the robot to the computer with a USB data cable (make sure it supports data transfer — a charge-only cable will not work)

2. In the selected model's detail panel, click the "INJECT SOUL" button (its label shows the current firmware, e.g. FW 4.3.7)

3. A serial port selector pops up — pick the matching port in the list and click "Connect": - It is usually shown as USB Serial or CP210x - If unsure which one, check "Device Manager → Ports (COM & LPT)" to see the COM number - If the list is empty, the port is not detected — install the CH340 / CP210x driver, then re-plug the USB

4. After clicking "Start Flash", the page shows the flash progress — do not unplug the USB, close the browser, or power off the device during the process

5. When flashing finishes, the device restarts automatically — wait for the restart to finish before operating it

Notes

1. Use Chrome, Edge or Opera to make sure Web Serial API is supported

2. Do not disconnect the USB cable or close the browser during flashing

3. If flashing fails, try holding the BOOT button on the device and clicking "INJECT SOUL" again

4. For the first flash, enable "Erase Chip" to ensure a clean installation

5. If no serial port is detected, install the CH340 / CP210x driver first

6. The device restarts automatically after flashing — wait for the restart to finish before operating it