Hyundai unveils the TIGER X-1 Ultimate Mobility Vehicle
Say hi to Hyundai’s latest project from their New Horizons Studio, the Hyundai TIGER X-1 Ultimate Mobility Vehicle. This very small pod is carried on four extendable legs that end in wheels. If it looks familiar, that’s because we first saw the concept in 2019. The possibilities for this Ultimate Mobility Vehicle (UMV) could be endless when it comes to traversing terrain that would not be possible for a car or person.
“Vehicles like TIGER, and the technologies underpinning it, give us an opportunity to push our imaginations. We are constantly looking at ways to rethink vehicle design and development and re-define the future of transportation and mobility.” – Dr John Suh, Head of New Horizons Studio
What is the Hyundai TIGER X-1?
TIGER stands for Transforming Intelligent Ground Excursion Robot and the X-1 is to say that this is an experiment. It’s a self-driving pod that cannot take passengers complete with a flying drone-like companion. This aerial vehicle can be deployed to move and charge this Ultimate Mobility Vehicle.
The TIGER X-1 is capable of extending and rotating its legs to give it the ability to move in any direction and when the terrain cannot be driven over, walk over it. According to Hyundai, a vehicle like this could for planetary exploration or, on earth, a way to deliver packages like medicine or doos to people in remote areas after a disaster. Alternatively, the Hyundai TIGER X-1 could also function as a mobile science platform in places normal vehicles would struggle to get to.
New Horizons Studio.
The New Horizons Studio is a part of Hyundai that is used to explore unique mobility solutions for traversing unconventional terrain. Working in partnership with Autodesk and Sundberg-Ferar, this is not the first Ultimate Mobility Vehicle that the studio has designed.
Back in 2019, New Horizons Studio created the Elevate, a similar vehicle to the TIGER X-1 but larger and capable of taking passengers. Interestingly, Hyundai says they are looking for a way to make this new vehicle a reality. Although, we might only see one in a documentary.
“While developing TIGER with New Horizons Studio, the team at Sundberg-Ferar was looking to create a robot that maximized the efficiency of wheeled motion with the articulation of a quadruped to expand the possibility of reaching more remote locations. TIGER is a modular platform design allowing different bodies to be attached to the chassis for unique applications such as cargo delivery or surveillance in locations not suitable for humans.” – David Byron, Manager of Design and Innovation Strategy at Sundberg-Ferar
For more information about the Hyundai TIGER X-1 and to see just how small this UMV really is, take a look at this YouTube video from Hyundai Motor Group.
Source: Hyundai
