Here's the comparison of the two PUDU quadrupeds for your substation patrols, on the three criteria you asked about:
| Spec | PUDU D5 (industry-grade autonomous quadruped) | PUDU D5-W (wheeled-leg quadruped) |
|---|---|---|
| Weight | 61 kg | 62 kg |
| Payload | 30 kg | 30 kg |
| Battery runtime | 2.5 h | 3 h |
Summary of the differences:
- Weight: The D5-W is 1 kg heavier than the D5 (62 kg vs 61 kg) — effectively the same class of machine. puduroboti... +1pudurobotics.com ↗“robot.battery_runtime_h=2.5”pudurobotics.com ↗“robot.battery_runtime_h=3 h”
- Payload: Identical at 30 kg for both models, so neither has an advantage in carrying inspection instruments or batteries. puduroboti... +1pudurobotics.com ↗“robot.payload_kg=30 kg”pudurobotics.com ↗“robot.payload_kg=30 kg”
- Battery runtime: The D5-W runs longer per charge at 3 hours vs 2.5 hours for the D5 — a 30-minute edge for extended patrol routes. Both share the same 1000 Wh battery capacity. puduroboti... +1pudurobotics.com ↗“robot.battery_capacity_wh=1000”pudurobotics.com ↗“robot.battery_capacity_wh=1000”
Everything else relevant to substation inspection is also matched between the two: both are IP67-rated, operate from -20 °C to 55 °C, carry dual 3D LiDAR and four fisheye cameras, run at up to 5 m/s, and are built on the same NVIDIA Jetson AGX Orin 64GB + RK3588 dual-processor platform with up to 275 TOPS. puduroboti... +1pudurobotics.com ↗“Dual 3D LiDAR, Four Fisheye Cameras”pudurobotics.com ↗“NVIDIA Jetson Orin AGX 64GB + RK3588 dual-processor computing platform delivering up to 275 TOPS”
So on your three criteria, the D5-W's longer runtime is the only meaningful differentiator; the choice otherwise comes down to locomotion preference (wheeled-leg vs pure legged) rather than weight or payload.