Hyundai Motor Group‘s New Horizons recently unveiled a new, autonomous concept ultimate mobility vehicle (UMV). The TIGER, which stands for Transforming Intelligent Ground Excursion Robot, is designed to carry payloads over remote and inaccessible terrain and can operate as a four-wheel-drive vehicle or a four-legged walking machine.
The experimental concept vehicle, officially Tiger X-1, is similar to theElevate concept Hyundai unveiled at CES 2019. However, unlike Elevate, the autonomous Tiger X-1 doesn’t have an onboard crew and isn’t built to carry passengers. It has a modular body to make it easy to swap out payloads, mostly for transporting tools, supplies, or instrumentation to remote areas. It also has a symmetric design to make it more maneuverable, and it can transform from a four-wheel-drive vehicle to an ambulatory vehicle with articulated legs that can step over obstacles.
Like theItalDesign conceptfor Urban Air Mobility, Tiger can dock to a UAV. However, the UAV isn’t just grabbing the payload, but the entire Tiger X-1 and transporting it to the destination. The capability will allow the vehicle to reach otherwise inaccessible locations, and both the UAV and UMV can charge one another.
The legs, wheels, chassis, and even tires are 3D printable. The Tiger X-1 is made of carbon fiber composite via additive manufacturing.
Based in Mountain View, California, Hyundai’s New Horizons Studio has only been around since late 2020. The studio is developing UMVs based on research and innovation from Silicon Valley and other innovation hubs.
The X-1 is being developed in partnership withAutodeskand Detroit-based design firm Sundberg-Ferar.
