Hyundai walking car is the ultimate off-roader

Hyundai has revealed its first unmanned ‘ultimate mobility vehicle’ (UMV) – a robot-like concept that operates as a regular 4x4 off-roader as well as a rock-walking four-legged creature.

Designed primarily to carry equipment and be used for life-saving rescue operations, the electric UMV dubbed Hyundai TIGER X-1 (X meaning experimental) comes with a large load bay that can handle various types of payload including aid packages in emergency situations, according to Hyundai.

TIGER is an acronym for ‘Transforming Intelligent Ground Excursion Robot’ and is based on the South Korean car-maker’s first UMV ‘Elevate’ concept, revealed using a 1/8 scale model at the 2019 Consumer Electronics Show (CES).

However, unlike the Elevate which can carry passengers, the Hyundai TIGER is intended to carry gear over “remote and inaccessible terrain” and will eventually be able to connect to unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) which will charge the batteries of the TIGER and deliver it to locations it mightn’t be otherwise able to reach.

Its capabilities are tipped to extend beyond “even the most capable off-road vehicle”, with ‘legs’ that have 360-degree directional control and a range of sensors for remote observation.

It’s also better able to keep cargo level during transit than a regular vehicle, particularly on rocky terrain.

Despite its rock-crawling capabilities, the Hyundai TIGER X-1 is able to tuck its legs in and drive just like a regular car, even at normal highway speeds.

Hyundai says the machine built on a modular platform architecture was developed in California at the car-maker’s New Horizons Studio alongside engineering design software company Autodesk and industrial design firm Sundberg-Ferar.

Head of the studio, Dr John Suh, said vehicles like TIGER offer an opportunity to push their imaginations.

“We are constantly looking at ways to rethink vehicle design and development, and redefine the future of transportation and mobility,” he said.

Hyundai says the team at the New Horizons Studio has been focused on developing UMV technologies to address several challenging driving situations and be “forward-thinking” about the future of mobility.

“For example, a car with robotic legs could save lives as the first responder in natural disasters; or people without access to a kerb ramp could hail a car to walk up to their front door, level itself and allow wheelchairs to roll in,” the company said.

The Californian team is also at work developing new tech that will allow different bodies to be attached to the modular platform to be used for other things such as cargo delivery or surveillance in locations not suitable for humans.